Spider's Bite
by ScatteredStories
Summary: My name is Santana Lopez and I kill people. They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin east of the Mississippi — when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Willowfield. WARNING: Rated M for Violence. Sex. Drugs. Cursing
1. Willowfield Asylum

_**This is a story based from one of the books I've read recently. I do not own any of the characters featured.**_

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><p>"My name is Santana. I kill people for a living."<p>

Normally, my confession would have elicited gasps of surprise. Paled faces. Stinky nervous sweat. Maybe even an overturned chair or two as people scramble to get away before I buried a knife into their chest- or back.

A wound was a wound and I wasn't relatively picky about where I caused it.

Of course, that kind of reaction wouldn't happen here.

"Hi, Santana." Four people chorused back at me, dull and monotonous just as you would imagine it to be in an AA meeting.

Within the walled confines of Willowfield Asylum, my confession, true as it may be, didn't even merit a raised eyebrow. Compared to the freaks of nature and magic in here, I was relatively normal. Unlike Lauren, the seven-foot-tall Albino giant seated to my left who drooled and gurgled worse than a month-old baby.

A long string of clear, glistening spit dribbled out of her over-sized lips but she was too busy talking to the daisy that she has tattooed on her forearm to pay attention, much less do something hygienic like wipe her mouth.

Disgusting.

Those types were the norm here in the Asylum.

Asylum.

Such a pretty word for a hellhole.

I could handle being stuck here for a week but what set me on edge was having to listen to the building around me. The screams of the damned and deranged had long ago sunk into the granite walls and floors of the asylum, the way all emotions do overtime.

Being a stone elemental, I could feel the constant vibrations in the rock and hear the constant insane chatter through the carpet. When I first got here, I tried to reach out to the stone, to use my own magic to bring it comfort or at least quiet it enough so I could get a good night's sleep but it had been no use. The stones were far too gone to listen to my magic just like the poor souls that shuffled along on top of it.

Now I just block out the noise- the way I do so many other things.

A woman at the head of the circle leaned forward, she was right across from me so it was easy for her eyes to find mine. "Santana, we've talked about this. You only think you're an assassin."

Terri Schuester. The shrink that was supposed to cure all the crazies in this magical nuthouse. The blonde radiated professional coolness and confidence in her tight black pantsuit, ivory blouse and kitten heels. Black rectangle glasses hung on the end of her pointed nose, highlighting her light blue eyes, and her ash blonde hair was flowing past her shoulders in big curls. Terri was pretty enough but a hungry look pinched her face- a look that I can recognize anywhere. The hard gaze of a predator.

The exact reason I was here today.

"I'm not just any assassin." I countered, "I'm the spider, I'm sure you've heard of me."  
>Terri rolled her eyes and looked at the tall orderly standing just outside the ring of chairs. He shook his head and snickered; raising his finger to his temple and making swirling circles.<br>"Of course I've heard of the spider." Terri sighed; trying to be patient "Everybody's heard of the spider but you are most certainly not him, Santana."  
>"Her." I corrected<p>

The tall orderly snickered again, making me raise my eyebrow in displeasure. That laughed just caused him his life, I don't like being mocked even if I had masqueraded as a loon for the past week.

In order to kill people, you had to get close to them. Put yourself in their world. Make their likes your likes. Their habits your habits and their thoughts your thoughts. For this job, putting myself in Terri Schuester's world meant getting tossed into Willowfield Asylum. To everyone here, I was just another schizo dragged off the streets, driven mad by drugs, elemental magic or both.

I'd spent the last week convincing Terri and the others that I was just as crazy as the rest of the babbling psychos in here. Spouting nonsense about being an assassin. Walking around naked, drooling and even finger-painting with the moldy peas they serve for lunch. At one point I even sliced off thick lockets of my vanilla blonde hair during craft time. They took the scissors from me, of course, but not before I used it to pry a screw loose from under one of the tables.

The same screw that I had sharpened into a two-inch-long dart that I now had palmed in my hand. The same screw I was going to shove into Terri Schuester's throat.

Of course I didn't really need a weapon to kill her, I could just as simply offed her with my stone magic. Could have reached out to the acres of granite the asylum was made out of and made the entire building crash down on her head. Call it professional pride but I didn't want to use my stone magic to kill unless I absolutely had to. Unless there was no other way to finish the job.

More importantly, using magic would get you noticed in these parts. If I start collapsing buildings or braining people with flying bricks, someone apart from the police might take an unhealthy interest in me. I'd made my fair share of enemies through the years and the only reason I'd stayed alive this long was by keeping to the shadows.

By creeping in and out of places unnoticed, just like my namesake says.

"The spider." Terri's lips twitch, "as if someone like you could be someone like that. The most feared assassin in the south."  
>"Actually, the most feared assassin east of the Mississippi." I corrected her again<br>"Right. Of course." She says condescendingly  
>"That's right and in fact, I'm going to kill you Terri. T-minus two minutes and counting" maybe it was the calm way I stared at her or the lack of emotion in my voice. Whatever it was, the laughter caught and died in her throat, like an animal in a trap.<p>

I stood and stretched my arms over my head, moving the screw to a better position in my hand. As I do, the white long-sleeved shirt I was wearing rose up over my matching pajama pants and exposed my toned stomach. I see the tall orderly from the corner of my eye, licking his lips and locking his gaze on my crotch. Dead man walking.

"But enough about me," I said, dropping into the seat once more and crossing my legs, "let's talk about you, Terri."  
>She shook her head "Now, Santana. You know that's against the rules. Therapists are not allowed to talk to patients about themselves."<br>"Why not? You've asked me a lot of questions for the past few days; trying to get me to open up about my feelings and my past. I think it's fair, you know? Besides, I heard you did plenty of talking with Rory Flanagan."

I watch her eyes widen behind her black glasses "Where- Where did you hear that name?"  
>"Rory Flanagan. Seventeen years old. An air elemental with a serious case of Bipolar Disorder. You really shouldn't have gotten involved with him, Terri. He was just a sweet, confused Irish kid."<br>The shrinks hand tightened around her furry pink pen until her knuckles turned white. I noticed the orderly looking back and forth between the doctor and I, like we were playing a game of verbal tennis. Lauren and the three others continued to drool and gurgle around me, still stuck in their own twisted worlds.

"Correction..." I continued, "You shouldn't have used him as your psycho ward boy toy."  
>"Did you panic when he realized you weren't really going to leave your husband for him? Did he threaten to tell his parents how you seduced him? Were you scared that he would expose your dirty little operation of seducing young men and women that are put under your care? Is that why you pumped him full of hallucinogens before sending him home to his family?"<p>

Terri's breath is stuck in her throat, her pulse fluttering in her throat.

I leaned forward, slowly. Propping my elbows on my knees and locking eyes with the sick doctor. "Mommy and Daddy Flanagan didn't appreciate it when poor Rory had a psychotic break and hung himself in his closet, Terri. Before he died, he actually left you a little love letter saying how he just couldn't go on without you." I tell her sweetly.

Normally, I wouldn't even bother with the whole exposition, it was just so cliché. I would have just found Terri, killed her, and slipped out without anyone even knew she was dead. But letting Terri Schuester know exactly why she was dying was an extra bonus on the job requirement that earned me an extra half-million.

"That's why I'm here, Terri. That's why you're going to die. Because you fucked with the wrong boy."

"Guard!" Terri screamed

Last word she ever said.

I flicked my wrist and the point of the screw zipped across the room and sank into her throat, puncturing her windpipe. Her scream turned into a whistling wheeze as she slid from her chair and fell to the floor. I watch her hands wrap around the screw before pulling it out, making blood seep out of her neck like a faucet.

Stupid of her.

She might have lived another minute if she had left it in her throat.

From behind me, I hear the orderly curse followed by his heavy footsteps. He was fast but I was faster. I snatched the shrink's pen off the bloody floor where it had fallen, stood up and rammed the fur covered pen into his heart.

"And you..." I murmured in his ear as he flailed against my grip. "I'm not getting paid for you. But considering how you get your kicks by raping female patients, I'll consider it a public service. Pro-fucking-Bono." I yanked the pen from his chest and stabbed him twice more, one on his chest and another on his neck; I watched as the lecherous light in his eyes dimmed and died. I let go and he thumped to the floor.

In less than thirty seconds, it was over. Game. Set. Match.

I didn't even break a sweat.

My eyes scanned the other four people in the room, Lauren was still drooling on herself and staring at nothing. The two patients to her right were frowning at the floor, like something was wrong although they just couldn't figure out what. The last patient was a raven-haired girl, she was already on her hands and knees, licking Terri's blackening blood off the floor. Vampires. They really would eat just about anything.

The granite floor's insane murmur intensified over the new coating of fresh blood. The wails of the stones around me made my teeth grind together. I'll be more than happy to leave this place and this noise behind. Far, far, behind. Quickly, I yank the pen from the orderly's neck and used the tip to pull out the screw buried in Terri Schuester's neck. No need to leave evidence behind.

I considered killing Lauren and the others, witnesses were bad especially in my line of work. But I wasn't here for them and I never killed innocents. Even these pathetic souls who would be better off dead than stuck in their broken minds and bodies. Instead, I pocketed my still-bloody weapons and headed towards the door. Before stepping out into the hallway, I chanced a last glance at Terri Schuester's lifeless body; her eyes were wide open in a look of shocked surprise. A look I've seen more than once over the years. No matter how cruel and bad people get, whatever evil they've done or who they fucked over, they never seem to believe that their deaths were coming. Until it was too late.

Now came the trickier part- Getting out of the asylum.

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><p><strong>Leave a review and let me know what you think!<strong>  
><strong>Reviews and suggestions are my lifeblood, it makes me write faster and better so don't hesitate!<strong>


	2. Easy Money

_**Thank you so much for leaving reviews! It helped me get into the groove and finish this chapter quicker that I thought.**_

_**Anyway, enough with the talking.**_

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><p>While all it had taken to get in was a faked psychotic break and a few frightened strangers on a bus, several obstacles lay between me and the outside world. Namely, two dozen giant and dwarven orderlies, a couple of security guards, a variety of locks and a twelve-foot-high wall topped with barbed wire<p>

I tiptoed my way to the end of the hall and peered into the next hallway and just like I had planned, it was empty. It was a little after seven and most of the patients have already been tucked away in their padded cells to scream the night away. If I was lucky, Terri and the dead orderly won't be found until morning. By that time I should be long gone but I wasn't going to rest easy until I got out of here. Never count on luck to get you through anything, I learned that lesson the hard way a long time ago.

Using the route I had memorized for the past few days, it was easy to jump from shadow to shadow until I reached the right-wing of the asylum. Thanks to a piece of tape that I had placed over the lock on one of the supply closets, I was able to slip inside the already open door. Brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies littered the floor.

I made my way to the back of the room, where the builders were too cheap to cover a portion of the wall with paint, and pressed my hand against the cold granite. Listening. As a stone elemental, I had the ability to listen to my element wherever it was, in whatever shape it took. Whether it was gravel under my feet, a large rocky mountain, or just a simple wall. I could feel the stone's vibrations. Since's people's emotions and actions sink into their surroundings, especially stone, tuning into these vibrations can tell me anything from the temperament of the person living in a house to any significant event that has happened on the premises.

But the stone wall of the asylum only babbled its usual insanity. No sharp tones of alarm. No hurried activity. No sudden disturbances. The bodies haven't been discovered yet and my fellow crazies were probably busy drooling on each other, except for the vampire. I'm sure she's had her fill by now. If she wasn't too greedy.

I climbed a metal shelf to the right and pushed off a loose acoustic board from the ceiling and grabbed the bag of clothes that I had hidden there. I stripped off my blood-spattered pajamas and into the new clothes.

One of the first things that I did as soon as I got here was to sneak in to repository so that I could steal back the clothes I was wearing when the cops brought me in. In addition to my blue jeans, a black long-sleeved shirt, boots and a navy blue hooded fleece jacket, I'd also hidden a pocket-knife and a silver watch which had a long length of garrote wire coiled inside the back. Small, flimsy weapons but I'd learned long ago to make do with what I had.

I snapped the watch to my wrist and a bit of moonlight hit my hand; highlighting a deep scar embedded in my palm. A small circle with eight thin lines radiating out from the middle. A matching scar was on my other hand. Spider runes - the symbol for patience. The moonlight had made them more visible than they were during the day.

I unfurled my hands and took a moment to stare at the harsh lines.

Letting myself think about that night.

At the tender age of thirteen, I was beaten, blindfolded and tortured- forced to hold on to a piece of silverstone, my medallion shaped like a spider rune. The metal had been duct-taped to my hand and then super-heated by a fire elemental, which then melted the medallion into my palms. I traced my finger along the scars, trying hard to block out the sound that I knew followed. Eight years ago, the scars had been fresh, ugly and red - just like my screams and the laughter of the woman who tortured me. Over time, the scars faded to just a silvery lines along my palm.

I wish my memory was just as dull.

Sometimes I almost forget the scars were there until moments like this where they would show themselves. When they would show themselves to remind me of the night my family was murdered.  
>With a shake of my head I pushed the memories to the back of my mind. The job was only half-done and I had no intention of getting caught because I had gotten misty-eyed and distracted by things left forgotten.<br>Emotions were for those too weak to turn them off and I hadn't been weak in a long, long time.

I stuffed the bloody pajamas and the empty plastic bag into a janitors bucket then grabbed a bottle of bleach off of the metal shelf, opened it and poured everything into the bucket. I used my sleeves to hold on to a mop and gave the bucket a good stir. No DNA. No identity. Given, of course, that the police even bothered to look for evidence. Murders, especially stabbings, weren't uncommon in the asylum which is why I decided to do the hit here instead of her home. Plus, they would most likely put the blame on one of the other four people in there. They'd probably blame Lauren since she's the only one in there that was actually strong enough to overpower that orderly.

I reached into my coat pocket and pair of glasses with oval frames. The bluish lenses will obscure my eyes which already had blue contacts in them. The other pocket had a baseball cap to hide my blonde hair and cast a shadow on my face. Simple tools really did work best especially when trying to change your appearance.

A bit of glass here, some baggy clothes there, added to the right amount of make up and most people can't even tell what your skin color is, much less what you actually looked like.

With my disguise complete, I palmed the pocket knife before stepping out into the hallway. Wearing my regular clothes and my signature smile, I left. Nobody gave me a second look, not even the so-called security guards who were heralded for their stellar vigilance and attention to detail.

Five minutes later, I scrawled a fake name on the visitor's sign-out sheet at the front desk. Another orderly, female this time, regarded me from behind the glass partition.

"Visiting hours were over thirty minutes ago, Ma'am." she scowled at me, her face tight with disapproval  
>"Oh, I know." I said in the best Pamela Anderson impression I could, "but I had a delivery to make to one of the kitchen staff and Big Millie told me to take my sweet time." Lies, of course, but I put on a guilty, concerned face to keep up with the act.<p>

"I hope that's okay with you, Millie said it was fine." I frowned and the orderly blanched.

Millie Rose was the woman who ran the kitchen - as well as the asylum. Nobody wanted to mess with Big Momma Rose and risk getting smacked with the iron skillet that she carried with her at all times.  
>"Whatever. Just don't let it happen again." she snapped. Of course it wouldn't happen again, I'd never go back to this shit hole. I upped the wattage on my fake smile, "Scouts honor." I said, saluting her like a girl scout.<p>

The orderly buzzed open the door and I stepped out. After the asylum's stench of drool, urine and bleach, the cold night air smelled fresh, crisp and clean.

If I hadn't just killed two people and wasn't trying to get out, I would have walked around and maybe even whistled a tune on my way out. Instead I walked to the gate with steady but purposeful steps. I waved sweetly at the guard at the gate and he nodded sleepily at me before going back to the newspaper he was reading.

As soon as I step back into the real world, the gravel under my feet whispers to me. Low and steady, like the cars and people who go though it everyday. It was a far happier sound than the constant insane screaming of the granite in the asylum.

Willowfield was located south of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range. The surrounding forests, lazy rivers and mountain hills gave the city the illusion of being a peaceful, tranquil place-

A siren suddenly blares out, cutting through the quiet night. The illusion shattered once again.  
>"Lockdown! Lockdown!" the intercom screams out.<p>

So the bodies had been discovered. Luck, such a bitter ugly bitch. I picked up my pace, checking my watch as I slipped past several cars. Twenty minutes, quicker than I had expected.

"Hey! You there! Stop!"

I might have been concerned if I hadn't already melted into the dark forest.

As much as I'd rather go home and wash the stench of insanity out of my hair, I had a dinner date to keep and Finn hated waiting. Especially when counting money and wire transfers were involved.

I jogged about a mile, keeping to the shadows of the pine trees that lined the highway, before I stepped into a small café called Green Zodiac. The kind of dingy, stagnant place that stays open all night and serves two-day-old pie and coffee. After the asylum's moldy peas and carrot purée, the stale and crumbly apple pie tasted like heaven. I called for a pick up and wolfed down a couple of slices while waiting for a cab to arrive.

The driver dropped me off in one of Willowfield's seedier downtown neighborhood, five blocks away from my destination. Storefronts around these parts advertised everything from cheap liquor to even cheaper peep shows. Groups of young white, black and Hispanic men wearing baggy clothes eyed each other from opposite ends of the block, forming a triangle of potential trouble.

An air elemental, who looked in his mid-20's, sat in front of one of the stores that had closed for the night, promising to make it, literally, rain in exchange for some change. Another sad reminder that elementals were not immune to social problems like homelessness, alcoholism and addiction.

We all had bad breaks in life, even the magic users. I gave him a twenty and walked on by, "thank you!" he yells after me. At least he still had his manners.

It wasn't just the bad and ugly walking around at this time, hookers also littered the sidewalk; like battle-worn soldiers forced into another day of fighting by their pimps. Most of them were vampires, their yellow teeth gleaming like dull topaz under the flickering streetlights. Sex was just as stimulating to them as blood, it gave them a high and let them fuel their bodies just as well as a nice cold glass of B-Positive. Which is why so many of them were prostitutes. Besides, prostitution was the oldest profession and given a vampire's ability to survive even life-threatening injuries, it was always a good to have a skill that never goes out of style.

I walked past the hookers and threw the glasses and contact lenses into a dumpster behind a Chinese restaurant. The fleece jacket and baseball cap were left on top of a homeless woman's shopping cart, given that she can come out of her drunken stupor to even realize it was there.

The neighborhood got better the more I walked from the drug-using and gang-banging white trash in the southern part of town to blue-collar redneck and the working poor. Even the prostitutes that walked these streets looked cleaner and more well-fed than their sisters and brothers to the south. More of them were human, too.

With my disguise gone, I strolled the rest of the way; taking in the crisp fall air. I couldn't get enough of it even if it was tinged with burning tobacco. Men were outside most of the homes taking their time, relaxing and chain-smoking out on their porches while their wives scramble to get dinner ready in the hopes of avoiding another punch to the face.

Twenty minutes later, I reach my destination - The Pork Pit.

The Pit, as locals called it, was nothing more than a hole-in-the-wall, but it had the best barbecue in Willowfield. The outline of a multicolored, neon pig holding a full platter of food over a faded red awning. I trailed my fingers along the brick around the front door, the stones whispered a busy but muted contentment just like the stomachs of the people after eating here.

The sign on the door read 'Closed' but I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Faded brown and white vinyl booths ran along the storefront windows, a couple of booths were also situated at both sides of restaurant, the grill along with the register were found at the back. Pink pig tracks covered the floor, running from the middle of the restaurant to the Men and Women's restrooms. The place had been closed for hours but the smell of charred meat and smoke still hung heavy in the air.

My eyes focus on the cash register, which was on the right most part of the counter. A lone man sat next to it, reading a tattered paperback copy of The Giver and sipping a cup of Macchiato. A middle-aged man, late forties, with black jagged cut hair that highlighted his warm brown eyes. A grease-covered apron hung from his thick neck and trailed down over his striped long-sleeved shirt and jeans.

"You're late, Santana." He said  
>"Sorry. I was busy talking about my feelings."<br>"You were supposed to be here an hour ago."  
>"Why, Finn, it almost sounds like you were worried about me."<br>Finn glanced up from his book and looked at me. His dark brown eyes searching mine, "Me? Worry? Don't be stupid."  
>"Never let emotions in." I recited, it was something that he had taught me long ago.<p>

Finn Hudson was my middleman. The one that made appointments with potential clients, gathered the information, took the money and set up my hits. The go-between that got his hands dirty- for a substantial price. He had taken me off the streets eight years ago and taught me everything he knew about being an assassin. He was one of the few people who I trusted with my life, him and his younger brother Noah Puckerman, who was just as greedy as his brother and wasn't afraid to show it.

Since our line of work can get dangerous to have a family, Finn's decided that it would be best for Noah to have a completely different last name.

Finn put his book down, "Hungry?"  
>"I've pushed peas around a paper plate for the better part of the week, what do you think?"<br>Without another word, he started working behind the grill and I settled in front of the counter. As soon as I sat, Finn turned and clunked down a glass of Lemon Honey Juice in front of me.

I tasted it and my face pinched involuntarily, "it's warm. All the ice is already in the freezer for the night." He says without looking at me, "cool it yourself."

Aside from my Stone magic, I also had a rare gift of being able to control another element.

Ice.

Although my Ice magic was far weaker than my Stone.

I put both hands on the glass and I could feel the warmth against the scars on my palms. I concentrated, reaching for the cool power inside me. I could feel the sides of my eyes getting cold, like the cold air from the freezer was caressing it.

Slowly, snowflake-shaped ice crystals began forming on the glass, spreading out from my palms and fingertips; frosting the glass between my hands. I placed my left hand over the glass, palm up, and reached for my magic again, a cold bluish-silver light flickered right in the middle of the spider rune scar. I concentrated again and the light started to form the shape that I wanted. It took the form of a single square ice-cube and I tipped it into the glass. I formed a few more ice cubes and dropped them in after the first.

I took a tentative sip, "That's better."  
>The next thing Finn sets on the counter was a large hamburger dripping with meat juice and mayonnaise, piled high with bacon, soft almost-melted Swiss cheese, crisp iceberg lettuce, a large slice of tomato and a thick ring of red onion. A bowl of baked beans followed, along with a small plate of crunchy coleslaw.<br>I dug into the food, relishing the heavenly taste in my mouth. The playfulness of the salty burger with the sweetness of the coleslaw and tomato, the complimenting flavors of the spicy baked beans and the cheese.

The Pork Pit was famous for its barbecue sauce, which of course Finn whips up in secret in the back of the restaurant. People from all over will buy gallons of it at a time, even the poor would come in and buy at least a jar of the thing. Over the years, I have tried to replicate his sauce but no matter how many batches I made, no matter what combination of spices I put in; my sauce just never tasted the same as his. He always tells me that he only used one secret ingredient to give the sauce the extra spicy kick but the rough old man wouldn't tell me and I doubt he ever will.

"You're never going to tell me what's in this barbecue sauce?" I ask  
>"Are you ever going to stop trying?" He asks in return<br>"No."  
>"Then you know my answer."<br>"I could fix that." I muttered  
>An amused grin flashed across Finn's face, "then you'd never get the recipe." I shook my head and concentrated on my food. Finn didn't ask me about the job, there was no need anyway, he knew I wouldn't have come back unless the job was done.<p>

I always missed The Pork Pit whenever I was away on a job. The smell of the spice and cooking grease invading my nose, missed the loud clatter of silverware against plates and the loud humming of friendly banter. But mostly, I missed hanging out with Finn late at night, when the restaurant was closed and everything was quiet, except for the two of us. Bantering, teasing and just simply talking about nothing important.

The Pork Pit was more than a restaurant to me- it was my home. At least, the closest one I had for the last eight years. The only one I'll probably ever have.  
>"How's Noah?" I asked as soon as the adrenaline and edge wore off, allowing me to relax<br>"Puck's fine. Making his deals. Taking control of people's money. My brother the investment banker and computer genius. He should have taken up an honest profession, like being a thief." I snorted and hid my grin behind my drink. Noah Puckerman's desire for civility never failed to amuse his rough brother. Or me.

I had just popped in the last piece of heart-stoppingly good burger into my mouth when Finn reached under the table and pulled out a manila folder. He tapped on it twice with her index finger before sliding it just beside my plate.

"What's this? I told you I was taking a vacation after this job." I asked him, annoyed that he would go against my wishes.  
>"You've been on vacation for days." He answers blankly, taking a sip of his cooling coffee.<br>"Spending six-fucking-days locked away in an asylum isn't my idea of a good time, Finn."

My handler didn't respond and the folder lay between us. I couldn't help but wonder what was in this folder, who had pissed someone off so much that they needed my services. My talents didn't come cheap, neither did Finn's handling fee on top of it.

"Who's the target?" Damn curiosity. An emotion I could never squash, no matter how much I tried. It was something that I picked up from the old man over the years.  
>She grinned and flipped open the folder, "Target's name is Ken Tanaka." I skimmed the contents of the folder. Ken Tanaka. Thirty-four. The chief financial officer of Nova Industries. In other words, a glorified paper pusher.<p>

Divorced. No kids.

Enjoys fly fishing.

Likes to visit hookers twice a week.

An Air elemental.

That last bit of information was unfortunate. Elementals were people who could create, control and manipulate the four elements- Ice, Stone, Air and Fire. Some people also had the ability to control variants of the main four like metal, electricity and water but you weren't considered a true elemental unless you could control one of the big four.

My stone magic strong and would let me do almost anything I want from crumbling bricks, cracking cement or granite and it gives me the ability to make my skin as hard as marble. I couldn't do nearly that much with my weaker ice magic, other than create ice-cube, the occasional knife and other small shapes.

The miniature ice sculptures made me a hit at parties, though.

Since Ken Tanaka was an Air elemental, he could tap into the vibrations in the air the same way I could in stone. There was a lot of potential troubles with this job; depending on how strong his magic is. Ken Tanaka could suffocate me before I can kill him, force air bubbles under my skin and into my veins, or pummel me with wind blasts. These were just a few of the hundred nasty things he could do.

I studied the photo attached to folder. His heart-shaped hairline was already starting to recede and his pinched eyes looked innocent enough behind thin glasses. In the picture he looked panicked, like he knew that monsters were walking around the streets of Willowfield and it was only a matter of time before something reaches out and grabs him.

Twitchy men were far more difficult to kill than the oblivious.

I'd have to be careful.

"What's Tanaka done to merit my attention?"  
>"Seems like the Chief Financial Officer of Nova Industries have been cooking his books, somebody found out and wanted to... address the situation." Finn said.<br>"Protection?"  
>"None that I know of, although Tanaka's getting twitchy and is thinking about surrendering himself to the cops to try to save his ass." He shrugged and I snorted.<p>

Cops. What a joke. Most of Willowfield's finest were as crooked as the roads the zigzag around the mountains. If you were going to the Po-po for protection you might as well just hang yourself and save your roommate the trouble of having to clean up after you.  
>"Nova Industries..." I murmured, "Isn't that one of Blaine Anderson companies?"<br>"He's a major stockholder," Finn explains "But a couple of his minions, Marley and her sister, Kitty, actually front the business. Nova Industries was started by their father. Him and the sisters kept it in the family for years, of course until Finn decided she wanted a piece of the action and muscled in on them. The father died of a heart attack a week later. At least, that's what the official report says."  
>"And unofficially?" I asked<br>"Rumor has it that the father was making a lot of problems for the new major stockholder. It wouldn't surprise me if the heart attack was an unfortunate accident arranged by Sue herself."  
>"A heart attack? That's not really her style. She's more of the, burn-your-house-to-the-ground type or she just skips all the grandiose and burns people alive. That sort of thing."<br>"True."My handler agreed. "Which probably meant that she passed it on to one of her boys and made them look like natural causes. Either way, the father ended up dead."

Willowfield might have a working police department but there was no use denying that the city was run by one man, Blaine Anderson. Blaine was a Fire elemental- strong, powerful, deadly. All that was bad enough but he wasn't just any run-of-the-mill elemental.

Blaine Anderson had more raw magic, more raw power than any other elemental in the last six hundred years. Anyone who went up against him ended up as a dirt stain on the floor that only needed to be washed and soaped out.

A respectable, multi-industry business front hid Blaine's mob-like empire. Intimidation, drugs, murders, kidnapping. None of it bothered him. He reveled in blood like a pig in the mud. Blaine had spies everywhere from the police department, city council, the Mayor's office. Cops, district attorneys, judges. Nobody really lasted in this city unless they went to the dark side.

Most of the people see Blaine as a paragon of virtue but those of us that dealt in the shady part of life knew him for what he really was-ruthless.

Like any businessman, Blaine hid her true nature behind lavish parties, donating to charity, spearheading fund-raisers, giving back to the community. All of it designed to distance him away from the ugly things he ordered done daily. Blaine kept her eye on the bigger picture which is why he has two lieutenants who would run the day-to-day operations.

Her lawyer, Sebastian Smythe and Dave Karofsky.

Smythe handled the people who tried to take on Sue through legal means. Burying them in so much paperwork that they would go bankrupt just by paying their attorneys off. Karofsky is labeled as a security consultant but everyone know's that he's nothing but a bully in a nice suit. He would be in charge of Sue's minions and would deal with anyone who crosses Blaine in a swift, brutal and permanent way- whenever Blaine didn't want to do it herself.  
>I've never liked bullies.<p>

Several times a year, Finn would get inquiries, asking for my services to take Blaine out. We'd done our homework, watched him over the years and had decided it was too close to being a suicide mission to even bother with. Even if I could get through all the security details, Blaine could simply kill me himself. Still, Finn kept an open file on Blaine Anderson, tracking his movement, security detail, looking for any sign of weakness that never showed itself to us.

It seemed like Finn really wanted Blaine dead, she just couldn't figure out how.  
>"Hold up, so you're telling me that Ken Tanaka, this pasty little dumpling man, is stupid enough to steal money from THE Blaine Anderson?"<br>"It appears that way. The client didn't give any more details and I didn't ask. If you flip to the back page, you'll see that they set a time limit on this one."

I flipped the page and read as he talked, "they want the job done by tomorrow night? You want me to go in and do the job in less than twenty-four hours? That's not like you, Finn."  
>"Keep reading." He says and I do.<p>

Five million dollars. Question answered. Finn might love me like a daughter but he also loved getting his fifteen percent cut.  
>"It's not a bad chunk of change." I admitted, closing the folder before grabbing it from the table.<br>"Not bad? It's twice your normal rate." anticipation colored Finn's voice, "Do this job and you can retire."

Retirement. Something in both our minds ever since I came back with three broken ribs and a bruised kidney from a failed job six months ago. The old man kept talking dreamily about my retirement, as if there was a world of options for someone like me.

"I'm twenty-one. A highly effective, highly paid, in-demand professional in my expertise. My job doesn't bother me and the people I kill have it coming anyway, why would I want to retire?"

"Because there's more to life than killing people and counting money." his brown eyes locked with mine, "Because you shouldn't have to look over your shoulder your whole life, don't you want to live in the daylight a little, kid?"

Live in the daylight.

His code for living a normal life. Eight or so years ago, I'd have wanted that and nothing else. I had prayed for time to rewind itself so I could go back to my normal, sheltered life. But I'd given up on that fairy tale long ago, nothing but pain would come from wanting something I can never have.

That silly dream of a normal life had died, burned away and crumbled into ash- just like my family had been.

People like me didn't retire. We kept going until we got dead- which was always sooner rather than later. But I didn't argue with Finn, not tonight, like it or not, he was the few people left that I truly loved.

"Do you really think this is a good idea? This rush job?" I asked, waving the folder in front of his face  
>"For five million dollars, yes I do."<br>"But there's no time to prep for this job." I whined, opening the folder again, turning a page for every complaint I had.

"No time to plan."  
>Turn.<br>"No entry points."  
>Turn.<br>"No exit points."  
>Turn<br>"Nothing."

"Santana," Finn said in his soft, stern voice, "This is an easy job. You can do this in your sleep. Look, the client even suggested a place to do the hit." he added as I read on, skimming the pages.

"The opera house?" I asked when I found the page with the information  
>"There's going to be a big event tomorrow night, they're going to dedicate the new wing to Blaine Anderson."<br>"Another? Aren't there enough buildings names B. Anderson in this city?"  
>"My point is," he continued, completely ignoring my rant, "there will be a lot of people. Lots of press. Lots of opportunity to get lost in the crowd. It should be easy enough for you to kill Tanaka and slip out. You are <em>The Spider<em> after all."  
>I grimaced at the name, "The Spider was your idea, not mine. You're the one that thought you could charge more if I had a catchy name, Tin Man."<br>"I was right too. Every assassin had a name. Yours just had a better ring to it, thanks to me." Finn grinned

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.

"C'mon Santana. It's easy money. Pop the accountant tomorrow night and then you can take a vacation." he promised. "A real vacation. Somewhere warm with oily cabana boys and margaritas."

I raised an eyebrow, "What the hell do you know about oily cabana boys?"  
>"Noah might have pointed them out when he took me to Key West last year." Finn said, although we didn't dwell much because a couple of topless women walked by."<p>

Of course they had.

"Fine." I said, closing the folder, "I'll do it. But only because I love you even if you are a greedy bastard that works me too hard."

Finn laughed, her eyes wrinkling as the action reached his eyes. "I'll drink to that."

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><p><em><strong>Wow. I think I got carried away with this one.<strong>_

_**Just to clear up some questions:**_

_**1) We have Old!Finn. (As mentioned above)**_

_**2) This is **__**not**__** a vampire fic. Santana, Finn and (soon) Puck are human. I would mention if any of the characters were anything but. (just like the giant & dwarven orderlies)**_

_**3) This is a Brittana fic, but there will me much much more of Santana. Just because The Spider likes working alone and this fic is focused on her struggles and shit. So please don't expect too much fluff.**_

_**That's it! Leave a review!**_


	3. The Opera House

_**I can't believe how quickly I'm coming up with the updates.**_

_**Thank you to all those who reviewed and said that the story was good! I hope I never let you down.**_

_**Here we go.**_

_***reposting with minor changes***_

**_*Also, one of the reviewers reminded me of giving props to the original writer of the book I told you about. I totally forgot but here it is: Guys, you have to read the original, it's under the same title and the author's name is Jennifer Estep. The characters there just went perfect with Glee characters that I wanted to share it with you guys!*_**

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><p>As soon as I finished my drink, I took the folder and said good night to Finn.<p>

My apartment was just across the street, six stories up on the top floor. I circled around three blocks as usual, cutting through two alleys, making sure that I wasn't being followed. I danced from shadow to shadow before making my way back to the building. Given the late hour, everything was quiet except for the squeak of my shoes against the tiled floor of the lobby.

I rode the elevator up to my floor and walked steadily but cautiously to my room at the end of the hall. Standing in front of the door, I run my hands lightly over the cold stone framing the door. Nothing of note, just the usual low, steady hum of an empty room. I guess I haven't been home enough for my presence to sink into the stones, or I didn't care to listen to my innate vibrations.

As soon as I walked in, the wall of the adjacent building greeted me from outside my window. Not much of a view but I'd chosen this particular apartment because it was the one closest to the stairwell, with access to the roof and a sturdy drain pipe where I could shimmy myself down to the ground if ever shit went down. My different escape routes which I practiced, at least, once a month. You can never be too careful. My own personal mantra. Especially in my line of work where one oversight or one small fuck up could mean the difference between life and death.

I flipped on the lights and plopped myself on the couch right in the middle of the room. It was a pretty nice apartment, two bedrooms and two baths on opposite ends of the living room. The kitchen was to the right, packed with all the essentials: pots and pans, knives, cooking utensils and a refrigerator full of food.

Aside from the three frames on top of the mantel, there was nothing here I couldn't walk away from. There was always a chance of discovery, capture, torture, and death in my line of work, which is why the need to up and leave was always a possibility. Which is also why Finn wanted me to give up the business.

Still, to placate him, I do try to lead a somewhat normal life.

My daytime name was Santana Lopez, a part-time cook and waitress and a part-time student at the community college. I signed up for any and every class that I was even mildly interested in. I wasn't really very concerned about getting a degree, it would have just been another thing that needed space in my wall.

Cooking and literature were my favorite subjects and I tried to sign up for one or the other every semester. Cooking was my real passion- I enjoyed the smell of sugar and different spices. The endless possible combinations of flavor and texture. The mixing of sweet and salty, sweet and sour, bitter and salty. Plus, cooking gave me an excuse to have plenty of knives lying around.

Seeing that everything was in order, I relaxed into the couch. I should have gone into the bathroom, showered, gotten dressed for bed, studied Ken Tanaka's file. I should be planning the hit by now, writing down the supplies that I needed, visualizing my entry and escape and even dreaming of oily cabana boys and topless women.

Instead I lingered in the den, staring at the framed drawings to my right. It was a set of drawing that I had done during on of the art classes that I took at the our finals piece, they asked us to make a series, three drawings that are different from each other but still have a connected theme.  
>I'd drawn the runes of my dead family.<p>

Here in Willowfield, instead of crests or coat of arms, everyone identified themselves with runes.

Vampires. Giants. Dwarfs. Elementals.

Runes were everywhere you looked. Tattoos, rings, necklaces and even t-shirts. Even some humans used them for business logos. But non-magic users had no real impact on the runes, only elementals could infuse them with magic power to make the symbols come to life to do specific functions.

As for me, magical runes were very useful in my line of work. Trip wires, alarms, timed bursts of magic. They had offensive and defensive uses.

Most runes, thought, were used simply to show someone's lineage or alliance. The runes of my family, the Rivera family, had been a snowflake- the symbol for icy calm. My mother, Maribel, had the rune embossed in a silverstone medallion; she also gave a medallion to each of her daughters to represent our personalities.

My mother's rune was followed by a curling ivy vine- representing elegance- my older sister, Serena's rune and necklace. My eyes settle on the last drawing of the series and again I felt that now-familiar pinch in my cold heart, a primrose, which had symbolized beauty, was given to my younger sister, Bria.  
>I shook myself out of my trance, the memories were always worse during the fall.<p>

That's when my mother and Serena were killed by the fire elemental, their bodies reduced to burning embers. Bria had escaped the fiery death only to be crushed alive by the falling remains of our house. All I found of her had been a puddle of fresh blood against the stone foundation of the house.  
>Damn it.<p>

I shook my head again, trying to free myself from the memories.

The crisp air, the bright blue sky and the rich, damp smell of the earth. The smell of the winter chill slowed the murmurs under my feet. It reminded me of them, even now, eight years later.

The runes on my mantel weren't going to bring my family back from the dead, nothing will. I don't even know why I drew them in the first place. Maybe Finn's talk of retirement unsettled me more that I cared to admit.

Whatever.

My fingers tightened around the folder in my hand.

Time to get to work.

I tore my eyes from the drawings on my mantel, went into the bedroom, closed the door behind me so that I wouldn't see the runes anymore.

Out of sight, almost out mind.

At eight o'clock the next evening, I stood at the topmost balcony of the Willowfield Opera House, a massive building made of dark gray granite and smooth white marble. An old-fashioned architectural gem, the opera house spread over two downtown blocks. It was located just at the tip of Devil's Head Cliff. a 60-foot drop into jagged rocks and churning water.

Twenty minutes ago, I walked through the front door of the opera house in my white shirt, black pants, low-heeled shoes and cello case, I looked just like another musician for tonight's performance.

Everyone ignored me, even bumping into me, as I strolled through the lobby before making my way up the grand staircase. I reached for my ice magic to create lock-picks that I used to jimmy the balcony door open. I might have come in from the front but after the job was done, I'd make my escape through the back. In about an hour, I'd be rappelling down the jagged face of Devil's Head to make my escape.  
>Staying in the shadows, I opened the case and pulled off the plastic shell that resembled a cello. Hidden under that were my tools for the night, including 200 feet of rope.<p>

I anchored the rope to a brass flagpole planted in the balcony wall and threw the rest of the length down the cliff. The grey rope blended into the stone surface and it would be hard to spot it unless you knew it was there. Still, I grabbed a pile of dead brown leaves from the side of the balcony and used it to cover the length of rope that was still visible; it was unlikely that anyone would venture out here but you can never be too careful.

When I was satisfied with my work, I brushed my fingers along the floor of the opera house. The granite sang under my fingers; The music from all the performances in the opera had long ago seeped into the stones and now ran through the rock like a vein. I closed my eyes and put both hands on the wall, the sound was so rich and pure. So beautiful compared to the insane chaos in the asylum.  
>After I had my fill of the peaceful, beautiful music, I grabbed the cello case off the floor and headed inside.<p>

The balcony was an extension of the topmost part of the opera house, a featureless place where administrative offices were located. I slipped into the emergency stairwell and walked down a flight of stairs before emerging unto the second floor.

The place was spotless, from the marble statues to the glass tables that lined the walls. Burgundy carpet ran from the stairs to the door that lead to the stage. A few blocks over, a vampire hooker would do you in your car for fifty bucks while the homeless kids dug through piles of trash to find enough edible garbage to eat for the night. The darkest, dirtiest thing in here were the lipstick stains on the champagne glass and the souls of the people indulging in the bubbly.

Suddenly, the buzz of conversation stopped and gasps could be heard throughout the crowd. I looked around for the source of the commotion. My eyes locked on to Blaine Anderson. The Fire elemental swept through the lobby and climbed the grand staircase with grace that should belong to a woman. No offence to men. Every eye turned to him, like a song stopped mid-chorus. His hair was as it always was, gelled and combed back perfectly. Not one hair out-of-place. It's almost like even his hair was afraid to disobey him.

He was wearing a scarlet-colored tuxedo with black trimming. His eyes looking black against the white light from the chandelier. Fire and brimstone. That's what always came to mind whenever I saw Blaine.  
>A flat gold necklace hung from his neck. My eyes caught the rune that hung from the gold, an almost-perfect circular ruby that was surrounded with wavy rays, like the sun. A sunburst. The symbol of fire. Blaine's personal rune, used by him and him alone. Even from across the room I could feel the gemstone's vibrations and instead of quiet elegance, the ruby whispered raw power.<p>

I watched the elemental as he went around smiling and talking to different people. I couldn't help but think of how much money I've already declined to take Blaine out. I didn't consider myself anything near a hero, but I never liked bullies and I wouldn't mind removing Blaine's death grip on Willowfield's throat to at least give the city a fighting chance against people like him.

I scanned through Blaine's entourage, a big man tailed close to him while two giants circulated through the room. Dave Karofsky and Sebastian Smythe weren't here with him, probably busy beating up some poor bastard.

Blaine started walking and I realized that his path would bring him dangerously close to me so I melted back into the shadows but him and his men passed me without so much as a second glance, so I continued looking for my prey tonight- and anyone else that might play an interesting part in my little game.

A few minutes later, Marley and Kitty Wilde entered the lobby; flanked by two giants. Kitty Wilde strolled in, she had on an emerald-green that had the front ruffled and crumpled to just above her knee while the back ran down into an elegant trail. Her hair was curled into ringlets piled on top of her head.  
>Marley Wilde was a few steps behind her sister. Marley was several inches taller than her sister and wore a sequined purple cut-out floor-length dress that exposed the sides of her stomach. Her brown hair was free-flowing and highlighted her bright blue eyes.<p>

Kitty called out to Blaine and the two women exchanged pleasantries, Marley standing just behind her sister, her face expressionless.

According to Finn's files, Marley was the chief executive officer of Nova Industries, with Kitty serving as the head of marketing and public relations. The company had been in their family for years and dealt in a variety of areas, but the main focus was harnessing Air elemental magic for medical and cosmetic products.

As far as we knew the Wilde sisters weren't elementals, only interested in what elemental magic can do.

I wonder if Marley was the one that discovered Ken Tanaka cooking the books. Maybe she wanted to make an example of him or maybe she didn't want Blaine to know that her CEO was getting bamboozled out of millions. If Blaine discovered his embezzlement, Tanaka wouldn't be the only one getting the sharp edge of a very sharp knife. The Fire elemental will surely take his annoyance out on the sisters too.

I shrugged and continued scanning the people who poured in, I didn't really care who put the hit on Tanaka as long as the rest of the money appeared in a timely fashion. Just like Ken Tanaka's death. If the money doesn't show, then that's when I'd be interested in who wanted Ken Tanaka dead.

Speaking of Mr. Tanaka, he'd finally arrived. He scurried through the lobby and up the grand staircase. His tuxedo was a little too small for him. It was obvious that whatever the amount of money he stole didn't affect his appetite but his face was etched with anxiety and he would pinch his face together every few seconds, like breathing brought him pain. He continually played with his fingers and would glance between Kitty, Blaine, Marley and the sea of people clamoring to be near the three women.  
>He was trying to see which direction the danger would be coming from. What shadow would the bullet fly out of but he wouldn't see it, wouldn't see me, until it was too late.<p>

Honestly, it had been too late the second the client contacted Finn to hire me. Because I was the Spider. Because I always completed a job.

And I never, ever miss.

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><p><em><strong>How would Santana take out her target? Will there be other obstacles that she will encounter? Things are about to get nasty!<strong>_

_**Let me know what you think!**_

_**Chapter four may not be posted tomorrow because things were starting to get hectic at work but I'll try my best because I 3 you. ;-)**_


	4. Handcuffs

_**I knew I wouldn't be able to update as soon as I would have liked but here it is! Longer than the other chapters tho so I hope that's okay!**_

_**Let me know if I should keep going and thank you thank you thank you to everyone leaving comments. If you have comments, let's stick to constructive criticism, yeah?:)**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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><p>I watched Ken Tanaka slip into the VIP box before making my move. I stood about 10 or so feet behind him as he opened the door marked C7, the one that I was told was his.<p>

Satisfied that he was staying put, I made my way back to the top floor, created another pair of lock picks with my ice magic and jimmied the door open. Just beyond the door was the catwalk the ran all around the top of the opera house, a place for utility people to come and go without being seen by the ostentatious crowd watching the performance. I paused before stepping in, removing my white shirt, revealing a long sleeved black shirt underneath. I stuffed the shirt into the cello case and pulled out a thin, snug-fitting black vest that was filled with the usual: cash, disposable cellphone, knives and a couple of fake IDs and credit cards. I also used a beanie to cover my bleach blonde hair before stepping out into the catwalk.

The catwalk was a narrow strip that overlooked the opera house which helped give me an eagle's eye view of the audience, and into Ken Tanaka's booth. He was already seated and tapping the programme against his knee. The nervous twitch of a man who knows he's in deep shit. The maestro tapped his baton on it's pedestal, counting the seconds before the music started.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

A beat after the third tap of the baton, the band erupted into song. I closed my eyes for a moment, simply listening to the rise and fall of the music. The perfect harmony of the instruments as it glided along complex notes and patterns. I listened and inhaled deeply, trying to relax the deep tension in my muscles.

Time to get to work.

I got on my knees in front of the hard plastic case, pulling off the fake plastic cello and retrieving my weapon for tonight; a crossbow. It looked just like any other crossbow except for two things; the first was the stock was a hand-laid fiber glass stock, making it extremely lightweight and resistant to impact damage. The second was the Vortex Razor HD 5-20x50 Tactical Rifle Scope w/ Illuminated Reticle mounted just above the trigger, basically the scope means I can see a person's eye from 1,000 yards away like they were standing right in front of me. Plus the illuminated reticle means that I can see them in the dark.

Very powerful.

Very accurate.

Just like me.

Since I didn't want to risk Ken Tanaka to use his Air magic on me, I decided to do this job from far away. Pull the trigger and get the job done; no muss, no fuss, no blood-stained clothes.

Of course I could always use a gun, but they jammed too often to my liking. With a crossbow, you didn't run that risk. The same reason I used my knives in most of my jobs. The great thing about using silverstone knives was that the magic steel was practically unbreakable. The only problems you'll ever have would be if you jammed it too deep and had trouble pulling it out, which by that point doesn't matter very much.

I grabbed the crossbow and placed it on the balcony floor, just before the edge. The last thing I want is for some bored kid to look up to see a bolt sticking out from the roof. I at least wanted the others to have fun even if I am going to murder someone and according to Finn, the client wanted dead before the intermission. I gave it to the client, most people would want a hit to be subtle.

As I steadied the scope, I noticed a sliver of light appear behind my target; the door opening and closing. My dark eyes widen as I try to focus on whoever is making an appearance in Tanaka's booth.

Danielle Lovato took a seat just to the right of my crosshairs.

I knew Danielle by reputation. One of the very few good cops in this city, her father was a police officer on the same force who was killed on duty during a procedure drug bust. According to Finn, she swore to take her father's killer to justice, and after a year on the force, at the age of 19, she took down the whole Corcoran crime syndicate.

A cop that doesn't look the other way- no matter who was putting on the pressure. Didn't take bribes. Didn't do drugs. Hell, I don't even know if she smokes.

An honest-to-god cop. A rarity in this fine city of Willowfield.

I've also had a few run-ins with Ms. Lovato, she was assigned to investigate some of my jobs; to find and capture the spider; obviously, she had little success. Unlike other assassins, I didn't feel the need to mark my jobs which made it all the more difficult for the detective to catch a break in any of the cases she's worked on where I was involved.

But she knew I existed, mainly because one of my last assignments was to kill her partner- Brody Weston.

Weston wasn't a bad cop except for his off-duty hobby of beating up and raping hookers. Pick them up, fuck them in the back of his squad car, give them a few good punches, fuck them some more and then leave them out on the street; boy or girl, it didn't matter much. In Willowfield that doesn't even merit enough to kick him of the force, let alone my brand of attention.

But all that changed when Weston set his sights on a thirteen year old girl named Sunshine Corazon, the daughter of a hooker. He threatened her family with pain and death and jail before turning his forcible ways on the young defenseless girl. Finn never liked rapists, especially one that targeted kids, so we did this job for free. Another public service.

The mayor should give me a fucking medal.

A week after her partner's murder, Danielle vowed to find her partner's killer, just like she had done her father's. That's when my interest shifted to the little detective. Her determination amused me, so I asked Finn to compile a file for her.

Twenty-one.

Five-foot, three-inches. Cute.

She naturally had brunette hair but recently she has changed it to a blue color and it was styled into a messy bun for tonight's activities. Curvy, delicious figure. A slight cleft chin. A strong jaw. A curious greenish-black tint to her eyes and despite her job, she had the smoothest looking melted-caramel looking skin.

She wasn't as thin as the rest of the women, and even some of the men looked thinner than her, but she moved with the easy confidence of a woman that knows what she's doing.

Was there anything sexier that confidence and the actual skill to back it up?

No, I didn't think so.

She crossed her legs and I caught a glimpse of the black lace garter under her black circle skirt and I'm suddenly hyper aware of her every movement.

The smooth curves of her legs.

Her beautiful figure.

The button in the middle of her breast that seemed like it used all it's might to hold the two flimsy pieces of cloth from separating and exposing her cleavage. God bless and God damn that button.

A hot awareness coursed through my body. My breast tightened, and a small, pleasant ached throbbed at the junction of my thighs. I wonder if Danielle Lovato was as good in bed as she was at her job.

For a moment I let myself fantasize about the detective. Naked and writhing underneath me.

Her mouth on my stiff nipples, my fingers teasing her clit. I pictured myself slowly sinking down her fingers. Feeling the walls of my core tighten around her. I imagined riding her fingers in a quickening pace until I screamed out her name in ecstasy and then it would be her turn. Draining every ounce of pleasure from each other's bodies until we were both satiated and maybe even more after that. Just for the heck of it.

Too bad I didn't even know if she was into women. It would be a shame if she wasn't. She looks like she could eat pussy like a champ.

Plus, she played for the other team and wanted to put a bullet in my head. My daydream would have to remain a daydream.

Finn did say that Tanaka was thinking of going to the police for protection. That must be what Detective Lovato was doing here, assuring her with promises of safety and immunity.

Whatever.

Didn't matter much, I was two minutes away from driving an arrow through his heart.

I watched the detective and Tanaka, talking with heads huddled close together. Danielle did most of the talking and Tanaka kept shaking his head in a definite no-no-no. Whatever Lovato wanted, Tanaka wasn't giving in just yet.

I was so preoccupied with trying to decipher what Lovato and Tanaka were talking about that I didn't register the tale-tell sound of a gun clicking but the cold muzzle pressed against the back of my neck definitely caught my attention.

"Drop the weapon." A voice hissed in my ear

Shit.

"Drop it. " The barrel of the gun pressed against the base of my skull, if he shot me there, I'd be dead before my body hit the ground. For a moment I thought of reaching for my stone magic, to harden my skin into a nearly-impenetrable shell but if he was even half a second faster that me, he can pull the trigger before I even have enough time to pull up the magic I need.

"Drop it. Right. Fucking. Now." His voice dripped with venom, pressing the gun harder against my neck.  
>"Sure." I said in an easy tone, "I'll drop the bow but you're going to have to give me some room. I can't pull back with you standing right above me."<br>An easy lie, of course, but he'd gotten the drop of me and right now I was in no position to even try and out maneuver him.

"Fine. But don't do anything stupid." I feel the gun slowly pulled away from my neck and I could feel him take five steps back, his footsteps thudding lightly against the catwalk.

Perfect.

I prop the bow on the ground, the bolt pointed at him.

"Now stand up and turn around- slowly. Hand where I can see them." I did as he asked. A tall, handsome man with short crop hair and powerful muscles stood behind me.

"Hello, Elliot."  
>"Santana." he greets, tipping his imaginary hat.<p>

Just like what Finn had said, every assassin had a name. This name usually had something to do with how they prefer to kill their targets.

You want someone poisoned? Nightshade was your go-to girl.

Burned to death? Phoenix was your guy.

Gutted entrails? Meat Hook

Finn was known as Tin Man because he let no emotion distract him from the job. Elliot's name was Viper, just like the rune he has tattooed on his arm. Elliot adopted the name because he crept in the shadows and you will never see him unless you stepped on him or he decided to strike.

Since there were only a handful of people who did our profession at our level, Elliot and I have butted heads more than once. I had put a knife in his back in Ohio and he returned the favor by shooting me in the stomach in a job in San Francisco. Of course as professionals, we finished the job, killing all six of our clients.

I stood there with my hands up. He had a silencer capped on his gun. The weapon was level with my heart, at this distance Elliot wouldn't miss. Unless I made him.

"I'm actually sorry about this, Santana." He said, his voice motionless. "but the money was too good to pass up."

I glanced down at the VIP boxes and found that Danielle and Tanaka was still engaged in a deep conversation. The detective seems to be demanding something from Tanaka, who was still shaking his head no-no-no. My head spun as I tried to make sense of what was happening.

"What the hell is this? A set-up?"  
>"You're smarter than you seem." He smiled<br>"I kill Tanaka, you kill me?"  
>"That's the plan but since you were taking your sweet time, I decided to do you first."<br>My dark eyes narrowed, "Why, though? I was going to kill Tanaka. I'm a professional, I don't take jobs unless I plan to follow through with them."  
>Elliot simply shrugged, "the accountants death will raise a lot of questions that my employer would rather not answer."<br>"So you're going to make me the fall guy?"  
>He nodded, "this way, there's nobody to investigate but there will be gunfight and in the end, they'll find your body. The trail starts and ends with you."<p>

"What's the story? What's my motivation?" I ask, shifting to my right foot, the one closest to the bow.  
>"Nothing too elaborate. A hooker gone crazy with love for Ken Tanaka."<br>"A hooker? in love? in this city?" I snorted, "you couldn't come up with anything remotely more creative than that?"  
>He shrugged, "not my call."<br>I nodded, "I have to admit, it's a good plan."  
>"Client came up with it, I just went along for the cash."<br>"Since you brought it up and since I'm about to die anyway, mind telling me who our client is?" I asked  
>Elliot shook his head, "you know better than to ask me that, Santana."<p>

I did know better, I just needed an extra second to inch my right foot under the trigger.

"I'd love to stay in chat but I have a schedule to keep, I'm sure you understand." He says almost politely, "you're a decent assassin, Santana. Almost as good as me-" I kicked out with my right foot and jiggled the trigger of the crossbow. The bold shot out and hit Elliot right above his left ankle but not before he was able to get off a shot; nicking my right shoulder.

A hot spark erupted from the wound, making me hiss.

Better than a bullet through the heart.

I pushed the pain away and grabbed the cello case to my left, bringing it over my chest just as Elliot fires off a burst of three bullets. The bullets thunk-thunk-thunked against the hard leather case. I jerked my left hand and a knife fell down my sleeves right into my hands. A particularly hard hit against the case made me stumble back and I quickly spun, threw the cello case down and fired the knife at Elliot.

The blade caught him in his right bicep, the gun slid from his weakened hands.

"You and those fucking toys." He muttered, turning around and pulling the blade out of his own arm. "Get a real weapon. Like a fucking gun."  
>"Guns are for people who don't have the balls to kill with a blade." I shook my right arm and my knife slid down to my hands and Elliot shifted my knife to his left.<p>

Just like a Mexican stand-off, we moved in a loose circle, watching each others moves. For that quick twitch before the killing blow. Elliot turned and quickly sliced my bicep, making another ribbon of pain erupt and making my teeth grit together. I slammed my elbow into his nose. He punched my kidney. I kneed his groin.

We were evenly matched but the bolt in Elliot's ankle gave me a slight advantage, making his moves slower. Sloppier. As Elliot moved to dodge my slashing dagger, his feet collapsed from under him and he stumbled to the floor with a grunt.

All the opening I needed.

Before he could recover, I pulled the bolt, as messily as I could, out of his ankle and jumped on top of him. He just pushes his hand against my forearm to stop my blade from digging into his jugular.

"Now." I whispered, reaching up and pressing the bolt against his left eye. "You're going to tell me who hired you and why he wants Ken Tanaka dead or I'm going to take this bolt and skewer your eye very, very slowly until I make a kebab out of your brain."

Elliot simply smiled, showing his blood-covered teeth, "I'm not telling you shit. I told my client you were good so we have a second man just waiting for my signal to pop a bullet into Ken Tanaka's brain. The detective too. So from where I'm seeing, you have to options, you can kill me and be too late to save the cop and Tanaka or you can save yourself and run- or try to. The paper trail leading back to you is al-" I raised my hand and stabbed him through the heart.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"Arrogant bastard." I muttered as I climbed to my feet, "You just have fucking shot me when you had the chance, not talked yourself to death." In a second, I had stepped over him and gathered the crossbow off the floor; stuffing everything into the plastic cello case. The swift movements making the ribbons of pain in my arms erupt but I ignored the discomfort, compartmentalizing the pain and blocking it out; just like Finn had taught me.

Finn.

My thoughts turned to him. If the client wanted to blame me for Tanaka's death, killing him would be the next thing on his to-do list. Noah Puckerman too. I had to get to them fast.

I flew down the corridor towards the VIP booths, the cello case got dumped near the balcony door. I was lucky that nobody was out here yet, I didn't need anyone seeing me, looking like an extra in a slasher film, and start screaming and causing some kind of stampede when I had places to be. Up ahead, I could see a man opening the door marked C7 and stepping inside.

Elliot's back up.

He wasn't going to kill just Ken Tanaka, he was going to kill Danielle Lovato too.

Killing Tanaka and blaming me was one thing but I didn't need the heat of a dead cop on top of that. Especially an honest one like Lovato who was something like a folk-hero to the people of Willowfield. Every cop and vigilante in the city would be out looking for me, pressure from the press and public would make sure of that.

Danielle Lovato and Ken Tanaka definitely had to keep breathing tonight.

As soon as I opened the door to C7, I noticed several things at once: Ken Tanaka was crouched and hiding behind the seat, Danielle Lovato stood tall, she looked furious but she hadn't had the chance to go for her gun. If I hadn't crashed the party, they would have been dead in a minute. Two, tops.

The gunman turned at the sound of the door opening and I quickly step forward and sucker-punched him, breaking his nose and making the blood spurt out and onto my shirt. Damn. He stumbled back and I used his momentum to turn him around, pull him against me and hook my right arm around him. The tip of the knife pressing against his neck.

"Nobody moves or he dies!" He was going to die anyway but they didn't need to know that.  
>I looked at the detective then to Tanaka, neither of them made a move.<p>

"Who are you working for?" I hissed in his ear  
>"I don't know what you're talking about." He lied, he smelled like a used fucking gym sock.<br>"Bullshit. You were sent here to kill Tanaka if I didn't."

I heard the pudgy man shriek and I glance at Lovato, her eyes were narrowed as she watched our exchange.

"Elliot isn't going to help you, he's halfway to hell right now." I told him and I feel his body stiffened. For a moment I thought he was going to start singing.

"Go to hell bitch." he spat his blood into the air.  
>"You first." I cut his throat. Warm, silky blood poured into my hands. Ken Tanaka shrieked once, like a little girl, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out. Danielle Lovato's reaction was different, she quickly reached for her gun. Before she could get a shot off, I pushed the dying man hard against her before sprinting towards the balcony. I grabbed the cello case and burst through the door to the balcony. As soon as I stepped onto the stone patio, I hurled the cello case over the side into the river and rushed toward the hidden rope and hesitated.<p>

I'd heard Lovato's footsteps in the stairwell below me. No time to be cautious, to be safe. I'd have to climb down the side of the cliffs and hope she was a lousy shot or didn't cut the rope before I reached the bottom- "Stop right there!" her smooth silky voice boomed.

I froze and turned, Danielly Lovato had her gun level with my chest, I turned and raised my hands as I stepped back towards the edge. "who are you and who do you work for?" She asked.

"I honestly don't know but I plan to find out."  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"Things have gotten a little complicated this evening, too complicated for my liking."  
>"Explain." He demanded<br>"I was set-up." I said, "I was supposed to kill Tanaka and walk away, but somebody had other ideas. They wanted to kill me before I did the job, then blame me for his murder. If you check up on the catwalk, you'll find a dead man. His name is Elliot Gilbert. He's an assassin. Goes by the nickname Viper."  
>Lovato took another step forward. "I don't believe you."<p>

I laughed once, "I don't care what you believe, detective."  
>"You're coming with me." She says before reaching between her legs and throwing a pair of silverstone handcuffs at my feet. "Put those on."<p>

"Handcuffs. Kinky. But I prefer to have a bit more freedom during sex. Don't you?" Danielle jerked as though I'd yanked the gun out of her hands. Her hungry eyes flicked down my body, going to my breasts and thighs, before coming back to my face.

Yeah, she was thinking about it. All the distraction I needed.

"There's no need to bother with those because you're not taking me in, detective."  
>"Where are you going to go?" the detective asked. "You're trapped up here."<p>

I smiled. "Me? Trapped? Never."

Using my legs, I turned, leaped up onto the balcony wall, and swan dived over the side into the darkness below.

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><p><em><strong>Tada! Please let me know what you think! Again, reviews power the juices so keep me powered up!<strong>_

_**See you next chapter? :)**_


	5. Strawberry Syrup

_**I'm back!**_

_**I keep getting my hims and hers wrong, hopefully there's none or at least fewer mistakes on this one. (I don't have a beta reader or whatever it's called so all mistakes are mine and mine alooone.)**_

_**I hope you guys enjoy this one. :)**_

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><p>I managed to launch myself far enough that I was a safe distance away from the jagged rock face of Devil's Head. The wind screamed in my ears as I twisted it my body so that I landed feet first into the black depths of the river below. The force of the impact ripped the knives from my hands and pushed me all the way to the bottom of the river, about thirty or so feet underwater.<p>

The water was so cold it felt like I had been flash frozen.

The impact and temperature of the water hit my body and stole precious air from my lungs but I knew better than to try and swim to the surface; the detective was sure to be looking out for any signs that I survived. Instead, I let the strong currents carry me downriver and despite the burn in my lungs, I started to count the seconds.

Ten, fifteen, twenty, forty...

When I reached sixty, I kicked my feet up until my head broke the surface of the water. I took another gulp of air and let myself sink under the currents again.

Five, ten, twenty...

When I reached thirty, I kicked up again. This time, staying up and paddling to the shore; I stole a glance back towards the opera house, several lights shone down on the river from the balcony where I jumped. I wonder if Danielle was still searching for me or if she had gone back to make sure that Mr. Tanaka was still alive.

I shook my head. I couldn't think about her and her sexy eyes now, I had to get to Finn. Even if Elliot and his associates were dead, news of the botched assassination would start spreading and whoever was behind this would make sure to dispose of anyone who could point the finger back at him, and Finn was as good a place as any to start.

It took me twenty minutes to reach the shore on the opposite side of the river. Despite the Ice magic in my blood, the cold water still took it's tool. My lips were blue and every muscle on my arms and legs shook and cramped up. Not to mention I smelled like a pile of dead fish.

Even though I wanted nothing more than to sit here until the shivers subsided, I forced myself to move. To put one foot in front of the other. Slowly, my twitching, puttering pace turned into a proper stride and then to a jog.

I had to keep myself warm. I had to get to Finn.

While I jogged out of the fence around the riverbed, I unzipped a pocket in my vest and pulled out a cellphone. Thanks to the waterproof case, I still had signal. I dialed the number for Finn and it just rang and rang and rang. Dread washed over me but I pushed it away, I couldn't give up. Not yet. Finn taught me better.

I then tried Puck's cellphone. No answer.

Faster.

I had to go faster.

I ran.

I ran for two minutes, stumbling over roots and fallen branches. I watched cars drive past me on the main highway heading to the opera house but I didn't dare stop or hitchhike, I didn't need anyone reporting a dripping wet stranger asking for rides just outside the murder scene.

Up ahead, I see the neon sign for a sell everything store. One of Blaine Anderson's many business ventures and for once I was happy to see something related to him. I'd need new weapons and warmer clothes if I had any chance of saving Finn and Noah.

It would be hard to cut someone's fingers off if I couldn't even feel the knife in my hand.

As much as I hate the delay, I needed to restock or we'd all get dead.

I jogged through the parking lot and slipped past the gardening section outside the store before I made my way inside. Without stopping to look at the employees, I grabbed one of the metal shopping carts and pushed it along the linoleum floor. My first stop was the Women's Clothing section where I grabbed a black long-sleeved shirt, black jeans, socks, leather boots, a bra, panties, a thick black fleece jacket and a black baseball cap.

My next stop was the pharmacy where I grabbed extra strong aspirins, antibiotic ointment, gauze and other medical supplies. I also passed by the beauty section where I grabbed deodorant and body spray to try and mask the sick smell because I'm about two seconds from painting the floor with my dinner.

I also dumped some chemical hand warmers into my cart then went over to my last stop, the kitchen area. Several large knives topped my cart before I made my way to the counter. I fished a credit card out of another pocket in my soggy vest and handed it to the clerk who wasn't even out of his seat yet.

"Welcome t-"  
>"Just ring me up and do it fast, Pizza face." I said quickly, I didn't have time for his slow drawl. The teenager jerked back and seemed shock and appalled by my attitude but rang me up in silence. Wise choice.<p>

I took all my items to the small bathroom just outside of the store and locked the door behind me. Using the supplies I'd just bought, I cleaned the wound in my shoulder and the one on my bicep, glued them together with liquid skin, and covered both with gauze bandages.

It was a sloppy fix to a bullet wound and I knew I could do better but I just didn't have the time. Before I left, I tore open the plastic casing of the kitchen knives and slipped two up the sleeves of my new shirts, one on the small of my back and one on each boot.

My usual five-point arsenal.

I hid behind a dumpster behind the Pork Pit, just watching the door and listening for any activity. I check my watch. Half past ten, almost two hours since the fiasco at the opera house. I've been watching for almost five minutes, just observing and looking out for any signs of life inside the restaurant.

No luck.

I used my phone to dial the Pork Pit again and I could hear the shrill ringing of the phone but there was no answer. I tried Puck too, no answer. My thoughts darken.

They were both probably dead already. Two hours is a long time to be in the hands of the enemy, hell, five minutes would be enough to break most people.

The smart thing to do now would be to run, walk away without a second glance; just like what Finn had taught me. The way we had always planned if anything went wrong. I had enough money stored in several offshore accounts and enough fake IDs and credit cards to last me a lifetime. Even two.

It would be so easy.

But I couldn't.

I couldn't turn my back on the brothers.

Not when there was a chance that even one of them could still be alive.

I at least owed them that. They took me off the streets, fed me and taught me how to be strong. I owed them everything. Plus, they would have done the same for me if I had been the one in trouble. They would have come as soon as possible, guns blazing.

No, I wasn't walking away from them.

Not now.

Not ever.

Besides, easy was for people too weak to do what had to be done and I wasn't weak. Not anymore. Never again.

My eyes caught on a black crack across from the back of the restaurant, a narrow space just big enough for a child to squeeze into and a hard smile curved my lips. An old hiding spot of mine, back when I'd been living on the streets. Empty and much too small for me now. Besides, I didn't need to hide. I'd become what I was so I'd never have to run and hide again.

Again, I listened to my surroundings. It was quiet. Too quiet. No flapping wings of birds or bats, no activity out on the street, there weren't even rats in the dumpster.

Something really bad must have happened to scare the rats away. I reached out and put my hand against the stone of the building, the stones had taken on a harsh tone, like something had upset the bricks. Something unexpected, bloody and violent.

I moved cautiously towards the back door, my hand reaching out for the door knob. I notice that the door was open, just a tiny crack, hardly enough to be noticeable, but I'd spent the last eight years noticing everything and everyone around me. I stopped. My hand awkwardly hanging just above the handle.

The kitchen knives slid into my hands. I backed away from the door and peered at it. A thin, black wire wrapped around the doorknob and led to somewhere deeper inside, hence the crack. Using the knife in my hand, I sliced the wire, careful not to jiggle it. Then I stood to one side of the door and pushed it open.

I eased into the backroom, checking the ceiling and floor for more traps. Nothing. I inched into the restaurant and that's when I found him.

Finn Hudson was spread-eagled in front of the counter, in a pool of blood. Several stab wounds and splashes of blood covered his blue work apron, almost like a bottle of strawberry syrup had exploded on him. Money littered from the broken cash register to the door, sticking to the bloody floor along with the copy of The Giver that he's been reading.

Defensive cuts blackened his hands and arms, his fists were swollen as if he had hit someone repeatedly. I took a few steps closer and noticed something that made my stomach turn, Finn was tortured- by an Air elemental.

Long pieces of skin were missing from his face, arms and shoulders. The fucking Air elemental used his fingers like sand-blasters, forcing oxygen under Finn's skin. Making it blister and bubble before he ripped it off; muscles and tendons included.

A small strip of flesh here.

A large patch of skin there.

A fist shaped mark on his heart.

None of them immediately lethal but all extremely painful. Some of them were so deep I could see his bones underneath the flesh, like pink ivory.

Finn was tortured to death and maybe even mutilated after that. It was the only explanation for all the missing skin, blisters and missing flesh. Nobody could have survived this, not this much, not even Finn.

There were so, so many of them. It turned my stomach.

I might have killed people but I usually make sure they were dead with a single lethal blow, two at most. But this... Whoever did this had taken extreme pleasure out of Finn's pain.

Suddenly, my vision blurred and burned.

Crying.

I was crying.

Something I hadn't done in eight years.

I drew in a breath as deep as I could, inhaling the coppery smell of Finn's blood. It made me sick. My body shook and my lips trembled. I couldn't look at Finn right now, not when I was so close to losing control. I would never be able to recover.

I forced myself to take in deep breaths, ignoring the fact the it was Finn's blood that I was smelling. I focused on breathing like it was the most important thing in the world. Like Finn wasn't lying dead in front of me.

When I felt the cold calmness wash over me, I opened my eyes and stared at the wounds. Not as Santana Lopez, not as a person who just discovered the murder of one of the people closest to her, and certainly not the girl whose heart has just been skewered and shredded.

No.

I examined the wounds as an assassin. As the Spider. Cold. Hard. Detached.

While I stared at the wounds, I noticed something. The fist sized mark on top of Finn's heart was small, like a woman's hands. I balled up my hands in comparison and hers was even smaller. The fact that it was a woman didn't surprise me, I learned long ago that women can be just as cruel and fucked up as men, maybe even more.

This sadistic little bitch took pleasure in hurting Finn. Reveled in hearing him scream as she ripped of sections of his flesh.

Whatever else happened tonight, whether Noah was dead or alive, I wasn't running and this bitch was going to pay for everything, more that she can ever fucking imagine.

I held my breath and waited, waited for Finn to sit up and tell me to fetch him some more of his coffee, waited for him to turn his head and chew me out for keeping him waiting.

But he will never do that again and the girl who took him from me will pay.

I feel the emotions clawing it's way back up again. I needed to go. I needed to get myself moving and get to Noah. Hopefully I can still save him. At least I can do that for his brother. I needed to start killing the bastards that did this to us but I couldn't tear my gaze away from Finn's mutilated body.

He was the one who rescued me from fighting the rats for enough garbage to eat. He saved me from having to sell myself to vampire pimps for money. Taught me how to be strong and to survive.

As I crouched over Finn's body, I hear a faint scuffle behind me. A slight scraping noise that was enough to snap the cool, calm control back into place. I didn't move, I simply waited and listened. A few seconds later, a shadow appeared just to my right, over Finn's face.

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

My fingers tightened around the handle of the knife in my hands as I waited for him to make a move. As soon as he was close enough, I turned and spun. The metal tip flew from my side and dug into his arm. He howled in pain and slashed his switchblade, trying to cut my face. I sidestepped his clumsy arms and shoved him forward against the glass counter. I pulled my hand back and hit his head as hard as I could and he fell to the floor; my foot quickly flying up and knocking his blade, and a few bones on his fingers, loose.

I didn't feel the wound on my arm and shoulder. The sheer exhaustion that I felt or the cold that just wouldn't leave my body.

I didn't care.

I just hit him- over and over and over again, smashing my tight knuckles against his face until the skin on my hands bruised and bled.

It just felt so good to hit him.

So fucking good.

The man gurgled out and spat a glob of blood and I forced myself to stop.

To stop before I beat him to death.

The metallic-copper scent of his blood pooled in my mouth, making me hunger for more. Not yet. I drew in a ragged breath. I twisted and yanked the knife from his arm, he growled and screamed but I pushed my forearm against his throat, cutting off his air. He struggled but a quick movement of my hand against his skin stopped him, I cut a four inch long line along his throat, deep enough that he would feel it but not enough to make him bleed too much.

I watched his blood trickle out of the incision and onto my hands. Warm and sticky.

It felt so fucking good.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions about what went down here tonight and you will be more than happy to tell me everything I want to know." I snarled, digging my thumb against his windpipe.  
>"And...Why is...that...bitch?" he forced out.<p>

I shifted my finger so it was directly over the wound, pressing in and rubbing the rough skin of my thumb on his exposed flesh. "Because I'm very good at what I do and this cut won't kill you, not even close. Neither will the next cut, or the next, or the one after that. None of the cuts will kill you immediately but you will pray to all the God's that you know that they did."

I saw his eyes widen in panic. He knew I wasn't kidding. He knew how much his boss had pissed me off.

"Let's start, shall we?"

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><p><em><strong>Let me know what you guys think and keep those reviews coming! I promise to work super hard to make this story good!<strong>_

_**See you next chap-turrr!**_


	6. Carrie

_**I am on FIRE today! Two updates within 24 hours, you people just keep me going like the energizer bunny. Who needs sleep anyway? not me! -twitchy eyes-**_

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><p>He didn't give me any useful information, no name, no inside scoop. Nothing. It all went by pretty quickly since I didn't have the time for this sort of thing. Besides, he was just a minion. Someone paid to keep an eye out for me and to come check on the restaurant. He was useful for something- he confirmed that Puck was going to be next.<p>

As much as I wanted to stay with Finn until the morning, I needed to leave if I wanted to reach Puckerman in time so I left Finn's body behind the counter. Mercedes Jones, the cook who comes in early to bake the ciabattas for the day's sandwiches, will see Finn's body and call the cops. Given the debris and the broken cash register, they would assume that this was a robbery gone wrong.

Finn will be nothing more than a statistic.

Another case file that the police won't even bother to look at twice.

Before I left the Pork Pit, I dragged the man's body to the back of one of the empty freezers before washing the dirt and blood off my hands. I left a bright pink note on the door to the pantry, where it was sure to catch Mercedes' attention.

_**Freezer.**_

She'll know what to do, Mercedes is Finn's go-to girl for disposal work.

I moved to another freezer and pulled out a black duffel bag, one of several I had stashed all around the city. Money, cellphone, fake IDs, credit cads, clothes and makeup. Everything I needed to make a quick escape.

Once I had everything I needed, I stepped out to the front of the restaurant and knelt beside Finn's ravaged body. I let a few burning tears run down my cheeks, letting them drip and mix with his darkening blood on the floor.

I'll get them Finn, I promise I will.

There wasn't time to properly mourn him. No time to grieve. Maybe later- when the bitch that did this to him is as dead as he was. The thought gave me a bitter kind of comfort because no matter what I do, no matter how slowly or painfully I kill her, it's not going to bring Finn back. Nothing will.

"Goodbye, Finn." My voice cracked.

I wiped the tears off my cheeks and straightened up, composing myself. Turning myself into the Spider once again. I inhaled sharply and turned, smashed the glass window and broke the lock before walking away.

It took me ten minutes to reach Noah Puckerman's place. Like me, he also lived in an apartment building a few blocks from the restaurant. Except his building was twelve stories high and was constructed from metal, it was also built to look like a miniature skyscraper. I headed around to the side where the entrance to the building was found and waited.

Soon a old balding man approached the door, a hooker on each arm and another one just behind them. As they passed, I walked just behind the third girl, like I was part of their little sex party. As soon as I was inside, I headed for the staircase, climbed to the third floor and pressed 'up'. I wasn't sure if any of the bitch's men were watching the CCTV but I didn't want to risk it.

When the elevator doors open, I almost laugh. The man and the hookers were inside. The man was in his late fifties, wearing an ill-fitting plaid polo under an equally ugly brown vest with the name 'Burt' stitched just above the heart and a baseball cap on top of his balding head. He was slobbering on the ear of the blonde hooker while another rubbed the tent in his pants. The third girl, a red head, stood in the corner, not involved or caring about the menage-a-tois happening right beside us.

The hookers probably felt my staring because their eyes darted to me, their eyes hungry as they drew back their red lips and exposed their fangs. Upscale hookers. Judging by their pearly white teeth.

When they realized I wasn't any kind of threat or that I wasn't interested in joining, they turned to the old man and cooed how they can't wait to get fucked by him and his big cock.

My lips twitched. Funniest thing I've heard all night.

The man and his two friends got off on the fifth floor, leaving me and red-head alone in the elevator. I turned my attention to her as she punched the button for the ninth floor, her outfit was littered with glitter and bright colors. I started comparing our bodies, hers was bigger and we were roughly the same height, it could work.

I quickly hit the stop button and turned to the woman, her hands instinctively clutching her bedazzled purse and she looked at me wearily with her doe-eyes, hissing and exposing her teeth at me like a cat. Another vampire.

"I'll give you two-thousand dollars for all of this." I said, motioning my hand up and down her body.  
>"I'm not a hooker." she snaps and I realize just how inappropriate my gesture had been.<br>"I meant the clothes, not you." I corrected myself  
>"The clothes?" Her dark gaze more uncertain, her tone disbelieving, "that's it? Nothing weird or extra?"<br>I pulled out the bills from my duffel bag and waved it in front of her face, "nope."  
>"Okay."<br>"Okay."

Five minutes later, the woman got off wearing my jeans, shirt and boots; she throws me a quick thanks before the elevator doors closed. At least I helped someone tonight.

I checked myself before reaching the twelfth floor, I was wearing my new skirt, a small jacket that exposed my toned abs, a bra and fuck-me heels. The woman had helped me tease my hair while I did my make up, transforming me from Santana Lopez to Bunny, the ditzy call girl. I also grabbed a couple of silverstone knives from my duffel bag, one got tucked in the small of my back, another on my right arm and a last one got pushed inside the tiny purse. Ripping the cheap material inside.

Unlike the other units below Puck's, his apartment took up the whole of the twelfth floor so when the elevator doors opened, I was standing in the middle of a large hallway. Puck didn't believe in hiding one's wealth and this upset some of his more subtle clients although he made them enough money to make them choke on their outdated standards. Still, I would always be cautious whenever coming her because Puck may not be as deep in the assassination business but he still made his own enemies because of his banking and stockbroker scams. Through Puck I discovered that people were more vicious about money more than anything, even love or sex. Add his womanizing and it's a wonder why nobody has hired me to kill him yet.

The elevator doors opened and I stepped onto the carpeted hallway and see the guard standing just outside of the large door leading into Finn's main apartment. He had turned his head at the sound of the elevator dinging it's arrival, he was large and beefy, with fingers the size of sausages. He looked like a freaking linebacker for the NFL.

Still, it was only one guy. I would have at least three out here, knowing that I was messing with the Spider. I was actually a little offended.

The half-giant frowned but didn't knock on the door or do anything to alert the others inside. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. I ambled towards him in a leisurely pace, swaying my hips and letting my cheap zebra skirt ride up my thighs, I had already unbuttoned the top of my silk shirt, showing off my bright pink bra and cleavage.

I could feel the marble floor's vibrations, it had a panicked murmur, like it didn't like what was happening on top of it. My hopes crept up, if Puck was dead the stones would have been the same harsh tone as the ones in the Pit. A lower, darker, sadder sound that I would never, ever forget.

I felt the crushing emotions rise up my chest, like bile that I wanted to puke out. Emotions that I didn't need right now. I had to focus on saving Puck, if anything, I can do that or I'd die trying.

I focused on the man in front of me, on how I was going to kill him. I stopped about three feet away from him, struck a model pose, ducked my head and gave him the most flirtatious look I could muster.  
>"Hey there." I purred, pouting my lips as I do so, "the name's Bunny, I have a...meeting with Pucky."<br>"Mr. Puckerman is in an important meeting." his voice was rough but his eyes burned a path from my lips to my breast and down to my legs.

I giggle, "I just told you, I'm the important meeting he's been waiting for... all night." My voice was impossibly low now, my best bedroom voice.  
>The guard shook his head, "This is another meeting, you're going to have to leave."<br>I pouted, "But Noah and I always have our meetings on Sunday nights."  
>The guard didn't say anything. He didn't even look at my face, his gaze just kept switching between my legs and breasts.<p>

I let him ogle, pouting a second more, then gasped; making the guard look at me. I widen my eyes and smiled as if the most amazing thought in the world just occurred to me. "What about you, sugar-lips?" I ask, stepping forward and trailing my fingers down his chest. My fingers ran from his chest and abs. "Can I interest you in sampling what a real love-bunny can do? Since Noah has already paid for my company tonight, I'll let you have a taste for free."

The guard opened his mouth to answer but he never got the chance to. I brought my right hand up and buried the blade into his heart. His eyes bulged and I covered his mouth with my hands, making sure that no sound came out too loud, pulled the knife out and stabbed him again.

The guard should have shot me the second I walked in from the elevator, never mind letting me within arms reach but a pretty woman was a pretty woman and men always wanted to look at those.  
>The guard's eyes glazed over after a few seconds and his body weakened until it stopped struggling, I eased him down onto the floor and riffled through his pockets; taking his wallet and IDs along with me. Underneath my feet, the stones took on a harsher note because of the puddles of blood that now dripped on top of it.<p>

Since the building itself was made of wood and metal, I couldn't use my magic to sense what waited beyond the heavy door but I wasn't leaving without finding out if Puck was alive or not. I opened the door, just enough so that I could slide in. Voices drifted to me; distant, quiet murmurs.

I made my way to the living room, cautiously, dancing from shadow to shadow. I paused as soon as I got to the doorway leading to where the voices were coming from. I peered around and saw that they had Puck tied to one of his own expensive mahogany chairs.

Noah Puckerman had a few distinct features that separated him from his brother, where Finn had creamy skin, he had bronze. Noah's hair was cut into a mohawk and his black hair would have been a beautiful shade of hazel if only you could see it through his eyelids that were almost swelled shut.

Cuts and bruises showed on his face and blood dribbled down his chin, spreading on his white dress shirt. Anger filled me at the sight of Puck's battered face but I pushed it aside and examined the rest of his body, looking for any missing skin or pieces of flesh that have been ripped off.  
>No sign of torture. No sand-blasted areas of skin. Yet.<p>

I studied the guards. The first one was almost seven feet tall with wide, bulky shoulders, weird pallid skin and deep-set eyes. A giant. I focused on his clothes and noticed that there wasn't the common bulge where the gun was kept, who needed guns when your fists were the size of a grown man's head?

The guy to the giant's right was shorter. Human. His skin was dark, like melted chocolate. He had a shoulder gun holster with a large pistol on each side. From this far away, I couldn't tell what kind of gun it was but it didn't matter, I was going to make sure he won't even be able to use it.

"Just tell us where she is and this will all be over." Shorty stepped forward, "I promise we'll make the end quick. Two in the back of your head, you won't feel a thing."  
>Puck raised his head and looked at the man through his swollen face.<br>"You know what I think of you and your promises?" Puck says before spitting blood on Shorty's face, the crimson fluid hit him right between the eyes, spreading across his gold-rimmed glasses.  
>He removed his glasses and stepped back. The giant pulled back and slammed his fist into Puck's face. Even from here I could hear the crack of his nose breaking.<p>

Despite the beating he had taken, I could help but feel proud of Puck's actions. Defiant till the bitter end.

After the round of beating he took, Puck started coughing up blood while Shorty cleaned his glasses with a handkerchief from his pocket. "I'm not sure if you're incredibly brave or stupid, you do know how pointless this is, right?" he asked, "no one's coming to save you. Your brother is dead..." He paused, letting it sink in and hearing him say the words to Puck was like a back-handed bitch slap to my heart. "...and the assassin is probably sitting in the bottom of that river or she's already out of town- that's if the police don't get to her first."

The police? I didn't like the sound of that. Especially the way Shorty referred to them as if they were his own personal force. This had morphed from a mere setup into a full-blown conspiracy. I wondered how Finn, Puck and I had been so careless as to get caught in the middle of this fucked-up situation.

"Come on," Shorty wheedled. "Make it easy on yourself. Tell us where she might go. That's all we want. Some places to start looking for her—if she's not already dead." Puck laughed, though the effort made him cough up more blood.  
>"What's so funny?" Shorty asked<br>Puck raised his head again and smiled at Shorty, "she's not dead and the only reason I'm still alive is because you don't know how to find her. You haven't caught her yet because she's smarter than all of you. But don't worry, if you really did kill my brother and if you're stupid enough to kill me too, then she'll be coming for you; you and whoever you're fucking working for." His smile was bigger now, more bitter, more menacing. "and you want to know something else, asshole? She's going to rain down hell on all of you." Puck laughed

"She's only one woman." Shorty laughed  
>"She's also the Spider. She's the best in what she does. That's why you hired her, remember?"<br>Shorty didn't speak but I could feel the tension in his body, he know's that Puck is right.  
>"So you can take your promises and shove it up your ass because I'm not saying a fucking word and I'll be seeing you in hell real fucking soon."<p>

I made sure that my knives were properly positioned in my hand. I only had one shot at this before they kill Puck and I can't afford to screw this up too. I wasn't losing him, not now, not ever.

"This is pointless, just finish him." Shorty commanded. The giant drew his fist back for the killing blow and Puck simply looked up at his would-be killer and smiled.

I skirted around the wall and moved into a better angle, the two of them were far too focused on Puck to notice anything else. My first knife went into the giant's left eye, one of the very few soft spots on a giant. He jerked like a puppet whose strings have just been cut before collapsing to his knees. His head landed on Puck's lap without a sound.

Shorty was faster. He managed to get a gun out from under his suit jacket but I had gotten close to him before he could fire off a shot. I knocked the weapon away before he could bring it up. Shortie swung at me hard, but I ducked his wild blow. I pivoted and came up a few inches from his face and buried the second knife into his heart.

He spasmed against me, whimpering and struggling to get free, even as his blood coated my hand. Warm, sticky and smelling like copper.

"You really should have listened to Puck." I hissed in his face, forcing the weapon deeper into his chest. He died jerking in my arms.

When his body slackened, I shoved him away. The body thumped onto the floor, a sound I was familiar with. Lovely sound. "You sure took your sweet time." Puck's voice came out in a low, pain-filled rasp.

I pulled the knife out of Shorty and used the bloody weapons to slice through the ropes binding Puck to the chair, then shoved the giant's body off him.

"And the man outside? Or do I even have to ask?" Finn said. I looked at him as I pulled out my knife out of the giant's skull.  
>"Right."<br>I stared at the bodies on the floor. Blood, flowing out of their wounds, ruining the white fluffy carpet. I looked at my hands and clothes and even more gobs of blood covered me, as though a bucket of paint had been dumped over my head.

I looked like that horror movie girl.

Carrie.

I looked at everything but all I could see was Finn's body, beaten and flayed and tortured inside the Pork Pit. Broken and dead. My eyes flicked to Puck. His handsome face, reduced to mushy pulp. I didn't often feel rage, but a cold, hard knot of it pulsed in my chest, right where my heart would have been.

My thumb traced over the sharp edge of my knife. Too quick. This had all been too damn quick. These men hadn't suffered like Finn had. They barely felt a thing. A ribbon of fire, the world fading away, and they were gone.

Easy.

Fast.

Relatively painless compared to Finn's death.

The knot of rage in my chest twitched, and I wanted to leap onto their bodies, to hack and slash and mutilate them until no one would be sure what part was which or went with whom. To send a message to their boss, just the way she'd sent one to me by brutalizing Finn.

It wouldn't have helped though, not with Puck hurt and needing a healer. Besides, the adrenaline was already seeping away from my muscles. I'd barely mustered enough adrenaline for this but now I could feel the crash coming. My hands and legs twitched from fatigue, stress, overuse; the exhaustion was also reminding me of how cold and disgusting I felt from my swan dive into the icy, dirty river.

Revenge, justice, retribution, karma, whatever the fuck you wanted to call it would have to wait.

My priority now is keeping Puck safe and breathing. That was my mission.

That's what Finn would have asked me to do and for once in my life, I was going to do exactly what he wanted.

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><p><em><strong>Don't forget to review!<strong>_

_**Things are again hectic at work so I might not be able to update tomorrow. :(**_

_**Let me know what you guys think and what I can do to make it better!**_

_**See you next chapter!**_


	7. Touché

_**Oh my god the feedback is amazing. I can't believe how well you're receiving this story.**_

_**I wasn't able to update for a while because life got in the way, also the motherboard of my laptop is fried and I lost everything T_T**_

_**but we're back on track now!**_

_**Just going to address some things:**_

_**1) Brittany will be coming in, i'm guessing, once we start looking into whoever double-crossed Santana. ((There's a hint there.)) Like I said, this is more of a fic about Santana and how she grows from ruthless assassin to whatever she really is. :)**_

**2) I'm sorry for killing Finn. :(**

**3) My twitter is HeyaFeelings, in case anyone wants to tweet me suggestions or remind me if I haven't updated! hahaha!**

**Anyway, let's get right into it, shall we?**

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><p>As I looked at the bodies around me, every drop of blood I saw only reminded me of Finn's broken body, I couldn't take this kind of pain; the kind that doesn't go away, like it's festered into your chest and no matter how hard you try, that chunk of dead flesh inside you will never truly be healed.<p>

I turn my back on the bodies.

As I do so, I notice Puck slide himself off the chair and unto his hands and knees, crawling towards the men and retrieving their wallets to get as much information we could from their cooling bodies. He also took off Shorty's gold watch and necklace before opening his wallet.

Straight to business. Just like Finn or I would have done. But not today. There were far more important things to do today.

I took the wallet from him, "We can do this later." I said, "We need to head over to Rachel's to get you healed."  
>"Why? I feel fine, Santana."<br>"Let's just say, I've seen two-week-old leftovers that look better than you do right now." I grimace as I try to find his eyes behind the messy pulp that's his face.  
>"That bad, huh?" He asks, pocketing Shorty's wallet and necklace.<br>"Don't worry. We'll be avoiding any mirrors on the way out, I don't think your ego will survive it." I laugh and swing his arm over my shoulders to support him.

Before we start for the door, he stops and jerks his head towards the bodies, "what about them?"  
>"Mercedes of course, you know how she loves this sort of thing. Grab whatever you need, you're staying with me for a few days. Clothes, your laptop, money, whatever." I told him as I picked up the phone and pressed the number 3 on the keypad. Just like me and Finn, Puck had Mercedes on speed dial. The phone rang twice before a rough grunt greets me.<p>

"hmmph." Mercedes' usual greeting  
>"It's Santana, there was a party at Puck's earlier this evening, I need you to come by and clean up the place."<br>"Hmmm?" A more interested grunt this time  
>"Party of three. Small, medium, and large." Our code for human, half-giant, and giant.<br>"Hrm?"  
>"Two in his living room and one just as you get out of the elevator." I tell her as I help Puck place his laptop bag on the table I was leaning on and watched him limp back to his room.<p>

"Damage?" She rasps. Mercedes' voice was worse than a chain-smoker's would have. Whenever she did speak, it was only one to two syllables each time, nothing to strenuous on the vocal chords. Then again, her best friend, Rachel Berry, spoke enough for the both of them.  
>"Let's just say the marble outside will be much easier to clean than Finn's spaghetti-looking carpet inside. You coming?" I ask.<br>"Yes."  
>"Good. Be careful when you're here, they might have more friends that want to join the party. We'll see you at Rachel's." Without another word, she hangs up. I turned towards where Puck had disappeared and saw him carrying two large bags. He stumbles, swayed and almost crashed into the large table. I grabbed the bags from him and swung it over my shoulders as I moved under his shoulders to support him.<br>"Grab your computer and let's get out of here." I say as we passed the table.  
>Ten minutes later, we were making our way across the parking garage attached to the side of Puck's building. I skimmed my fingers along the damp concrete of the garage. Sharp tones of worry punctuated the stones, not surprising. Everyone got paranoid and jumpy in dark parking garages, even me.<p>

I ignored the worry, no point increasing my own.

I pulled Puck to the nearest car that I knew was his, "No, no please, don't. Not the Roller. Please, Santana. The blood will never come out of the seats." He pleaded, digging his heels into the ground, stopping us both.  
>"Puck, for Christ's sake, it's just a car, get the seats replaced."<br>"Are you crazy?! That's a 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom."  
>"So?"<br>"That car cost me half-a-million dollars, Santana. I'd rather die out here than ruin it with a replacement interior."  
>Puck and his cars. I groan.<br>"Which car would you suggest then, your highness?" I snapped  
>He pointed to the white Caddie to the left of his precious roller. "Take the Cadillac. At least the interior is red leather."<br>I rolled my eyes but did as he asked. He might not have been my real brother but he annoyed me just as much or maybe even more than a real sibling does. Still, I'd do anything for him. Even smear his blood in the vehicle of his choosing.

I opened the door of the Caddie and dumped him in the passenger seat, threw his bags into the back seat and sank into the driver seat. For a moment, I let my body relax into the lush leather seat that just hugged my ass perfectly, straightening my spine and supporting my neck and shoulders.  
>It felt good to just sit still for a moment without having to fear what might come next or what kind of dangers were lurking around the corner. I could have leaned back on the soft leather and I'd be asleep in under a minute.<p>

I was just so exhausted.

Too bad my night wasn't over yet.

With a deep breath, I start the car and we exit out of the garage. I headed north towards Rachel's place. My route took us past the Pork Pit, I stared at it for a second. The neon pig hanging above the door, the fading bricks, the smashed glass and-

I tried not to think of Finn, lying in a pool of his own blood, but again the image of his ruined body crashed around in my mind. I tightened my hold on the steering wheel and for the second time tonight, hot, stinging tears were trying to escape my eyes.  
>Suddenly, I feel Puck's hand on my shoulder, "You wouldn't want to do that. You know how he feels- felt about crying." he says gently.<br>"A waste of time, energy and resources." The words came out automatically, just like all of Finn's teachings do. I swallowed hard and stopped the tears. They were harder to stop this time but I managed. I always managed.

"Tell me about it, where were you when they caught you, why they took you back to the apartment." I ask as soon as we coasted to a stop at a red light. Puck turned his body to me before speaking, "Finn had told me about the job and I decided to attend the grand opening of the new wing, for moral support, you know?" He says and I raise my eyebrow, asking for the real story.  
>"Alright, I had a lady friend that wanted to go too and I had some clients attending that I had to schmooze with. Several birds, one stone." He admitted.<p>

I nod at him to continue.

"Anyway, I'm in a private box with my lady friend when I hear a girl scream-"  
>Ken Tanaka when I cut the other assassin's throat.<br>"So I figured, you'd done your thing. My lady friend and I make our way to the hallway when I see these beautiful caramel legs running after a black figure."  
>Danielle chasing after me.<br>"News of the attempted murder found it's way into the crowd and my lady friend was very, very upset. So I suggested we go somewhere quiet where she can calm down." He says sweetly as I stepped on the gas.  
>"You mean somewhere private place where you can get I'm-glad-we're-still-alive sex?"<br>He laughed lightly, "you know me too well, my friend."  
>"I do."<br>"Anyway, we're just about getting to the interesting part when the door starts banging. The next thing I know they've broken down the door and asked my lady friend to scram." He says

"So they caught you with your pants down?" I ask, a smile tugging at my blood-caked lips.  
>"I had more than just my pants down but yes, you can say that." He sighed, "I guess they brought me back to the apartment, hoping that you'd come and save me."<br>"They were right." I say  
>"So right." He agrees with a grin.<br>"Did they tell you anything? Who they work for? Why they want Tanaka dead? Why they got us involved in this?"  
>"Nothing." He shook his head slightly, "they just started hitting me and demanding to know where you were."<p>

I nodded and the drove quietly to Rachel's, making the appropriate signal before turning, keeping my speed well under the limit and stopping at red lights even with no other cars around. I didn't want to risk a cop stopping us, especially with Puck and I looking like extras for a slasher film.

We were almost to Rachel's when Puck asked me the question I dreaded about the most. "What about-" He paused, "What about Finn?" My heart dropped to my stomach but I kept my eyes on the road. "Dead." I say simply, that was all I could say without my voice breaking.  
>"What did they to him?" His eyebrows were creased and he watched me with his hazel eyes.<br>"Why does it matter, he's dead." My tight voice made my tone sound clipped and cold.  
>"It matters to me, I want to know how they killed my brother." He says and there's a steady determination in his tone.<br>I glance at him and sighed, "they stabbed him to death. He was already dead when I found him in the Pork Pit."

Finn didn't need to hear the rest. He didn't need to know about the torture or the beating. He didn't need to hear how much pain his brother had endured and honestly, I don't think I can describe it to him without breaking down. Unlike Finn and I, Puck wasn't into the assassination business. Except for his womanizing and money-making schemes, Noah Puckerman was a gentle soul. Clothes, cars, women and cash those were things he enjoyed. Which is why Finn decided to train me instead of him. Even at twenty-three, he was older than me but I was stronger. I was harder. Colder.

I had to be just to survive my childhood.

Puck kept staring at me like he know I didn't give him the full story so I gave him a shorter edited version. The botched assassination, the fight with Elliot, being chased by the detective, my swan dive off the balcony, what I found at the Pork Pit and how I made my way to his apartment.

"There was a guy that was sent back to the Pit to check on me."  
>Puck cocked his head to the side, urging me on.<br>"I tried to kill him slowly but I had to get to you so it wasn't as long as we both would have liked." I told him.  
>He smiled, "it doesn't matter as long as he's dead. Thank you for that, Santana."<br>"Finn was like a brother to me, just like you are. Killing those men and saving you was the least I could do- I only wish I hadn't killed them all so quickly."

I wish there was more time to hack and slash and cut and mutilate their bodies until their begging for death. More time torturing them and less on thinking about what I had lost and how much it fucking hurt.

After a couple of blocks, I passed a short bridge over the river and the building around me started to transform from dirty, vandalized walls to the pristine stones in Northtown.

Northtown was home to the offices and fancy homes of the city's white-collar workers and the social and magical elite. It had themed subdivisions and large apartment building at least twenty stories up. But the elegance of Northtown didn't make this side of town any better, criminally speaking. In Southtown, you could tell what kind of criminal someone is just by how they approach you but here, people will call you sweetheart to your face before burying a knife in your back.

I made the turn into Rachel's driveway and steered the Caddie up a circular driveway made of white cobblestones. Rachel's three story Colonian-style home sat at the top of a hill. There were rose bushes all the way around the house and a single bulb shining on the porch.

I helped Puck out of the car and up the steps to the porch. A flimsy screen door fronted a heavier wooden one. I pulled the screen open, then reached forward and banged the knocker against the interior door. The knocker was shaped as a star with puffy clouds at the bottom- Rachel's personal Air elemental rune.

I could hear light footsteps just beyond the door and soon it opens a crack, Rachel Berry's head pops out and she narrows her eyes to try and see us through sleep-deprived eyes. "Who's out there? I have a rape whistle!" she calls out and it makes me laugh.

"It's me Rachel, it's Santana." I tell her as I drag Puck's body to the door.  
>"You've sure had an interesting night. Didn't I just see you at the opera house with a lady that was much too young for you?" Rachel teases him as she examines his face. Without another word she steps back and opens the door, "Take him to the back, you know where."<p>

She was dressed in a blue pajama set with white polka-dots and her feet were covered in bunny slippers. Real, pink, furry bunny slippers. I didn't even know these still existed.

I half-dragged Puck inside and through a long, narrow hallway that opened up into a large room that took up the back half of the house. It looked like your typical beauty salon. Padded swivel chairs. Old-fashioned hair dryers. A couple of counters covered with hairspray, nail polish, scissors, rollers, and gap-toothed combs.

Pictures of models and broadway stars with from twenty years ago covered the walls, while beauty and fashion magazines stood six inches deep on every available surface. I'm just settling Puck into one of the red swivel chairs when Rachel comes in behind us.

"Unfortunately, we got interrupted." Puck answers as soon as he gets comfortable  
>"How rude of them, let me guess, the father?" Rachel laughs<br>Before anyone could say anything further, I blurt it out. "Finn's dead."  
>A dark shadow passed over her face but she didn't seem surprised. You see, in addition to being a healer, Rachel also had a bit of precognition. She could tell the future- at least, somewhat. Almost all Air elementals did, given their ability to tap into the vibrations and emotions in the wind.<p>

"Finn's dead?"  
>"He was murdered." and for the second time that night I told my story. Opera house. Elliot. Danielle. Balcony. River. Finn.<br>"I'm so sorry, Santana. Puck. I'm so, so, sorry." Rachel said softly, holding my hand, "Finn was one hell of a man. He had his flaws but Mercedes and I loved him like a brother." Each of us fell in silent and I was secretly thankful for the reprieve. To avoid being overwhelmed by emotions again, I watched Rachel as she worked on Puck.

Rachel held both of her hands above Puck's face, her palms not really touching his bloody flesh. Soon her eyes start to glow an opaque, milky white color. A similar glow radiated out of her palm, it was a very light, white-blue color.

I could feel her power coming off in waves and I couldn't help but shift in my seat. Sure, Rachel and I have known each other for years, she was a dear friend of Finn's, but Air was the counter-element of Stone. Opposing elements. Feeling large amounts of this power has always made me feel antsy. Then again, my stone magic would feel the same to Rachel or any other Fire or Air elemental.

Puck closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair, as if he was getting a facial. But the tension in his jaw and arms made it obvious that he was in pain. Although his face had started to look a lot better, the process of healing was always painful- sometimes even more painful than the wound you were trying to heal.

Rachel passed her hands over Puck's face again, forcing oxygen into his open wounds, making the blood circulate under his skin, using the molecules to heal and meld everything back together. It was like watching a time-lapse video, the purple bruises and swelling around his eyes reduced and faded, the cuts on his forehead and lips closed up.

It took Rachel at least ten minutes to heal everything on his head and face and when she finally dropped her palm, Puck looked like his usual carefree self. Right down to the devilish smirk on his face, "thank you so much for fixing me up, my hot little Jewish-American princess."

I couldn't help but think of Finn and how differently another Air elemental had used her magic on him. To skin and bruise and peel his skin and flesh away on excruciating inch at a time.

Rachel giggled, as she scrutinized her own work. She smiled, happy with how well she pieced his face back together. Even the old scar on his left eyebrow was gone, an injury he had gotten from a college football player who found him in his girlfriend's bed. Rachel tugged on Puck's shirt, "Now strip and let me get a look at the rest of you."

"Why darling, I thought you'd never ask."

Underneath, he wore a pair of navy blue boxers made out of high-end silk dotted here and there with white sailboats. Preppy. The boxers hung low on Puck's hips, bringing out the ruddy tones in his skin. His chest was broad and solid, and a generous dash of brown, curly hair led down below the waistband of the fabric. But ugly bruises marred his figure. The fist- shaped marks painted his body in purples and garden greens.

Still, most women find Puck extremely sexy and highly fuckable, especially when you added the boyish charm of his face to the rest of the toned, slick package. But I'd seen it and done it all before, during my younger, more foolish years.

Rachel held her palm out over Puck's chest and started healing the bruises on his torso and whatever damage lay inside his chest.

"You know, there's something wrong when a guy wears more expensive underwear than I do," I murmured.  
>"You're just jealous more people see me in mine than they do you in yours," Finn said. "Still having those boring one-night stands with the young studs and ladies down at the community college?"<br>"Still sleeping with anything that will hold still long enough?" I countered.

"Touché."

Rachel smiled at our banter, and, for a moment, the darkness of Finn's death receded. I half expected him to come through the salon door, a cup of coffee in one hand and a wide grin stretching across his face. But he wasn't here.

And he never would be again. We all knew it. We were just dealing with it the only way we knew how. By going on with business as usual.

It's what Finn would have wanted us to do.

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><p><em><strong>Don't forget to leave a review! next chapter we start getting down to business and tracking down whoever killed Finn!<strong>_

_**Leave lots of review for my lovely unicorns.**_

_**See you next chap!**_


	8. The Best Defense is a Good Offense

_**I had a little ((a lot)) free time today so I decided to update! I'm not sure when the next one is but I'll work on it. :)**_

_**I know things have been slow on the blood-and-guts department but I promise the blood and innards are coming soon, these are just things that are important for the build-up!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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><p>"Your turn, Santana."<p>

I didn't realize that I had drifted to sleep until I felt Rachel's light hands on my shoulder, urging me unto the red leather seat. My eyes quickly scanned the room and I noticed that Puck was seated on another salon chair just to my right, his face and body, free of any cuts or bruises.

"I'm fine. Thanks for your help." I tell her as I make my way up on my feet.

Suddenly, the room is spinning and I feel Rachel's hands steady me, "Let me help you." she says gently and I have no choice but to let her. What with her and her dwarf-toddler look.

As Puck got dressed, I took of the blood-spattered skirt and jacket off, leaned back on the chair and closed my eyes. Rachel's deft fingers quickly remove the bandage around my arm and shoulder, I hear her tut at the mess, "Don't even start, Berry. I barely had time to fight off hypothermia let alone properly stitch my arm up." I tell her, preempting the scolding that I knew would have come.

Rachel sighs but doesn't say anything. Instead, she hovers her hands over my shoulder and lets the white-blue glow erupt from her eyes and palms.

A tingle sizzled to life in the muscle under my skin and had quickly spread outward. Then another, then another. Hot, stinging, expanding, until my whole shoulder throbbed with them.

I grit my teeth, trying to ignore the stinging sensation that was nothing at all like the cool caress of my Ice and Stone magic. The magic that was coming out of Rachel's hands also made the spider rune scars on my palms itch and burn, as the silverstone metal reacted to the Air.

Silverstone absorbed all kinds of magic, and many elementals used it to store bits and pieces of their own power, sort of like batteries that they could use when they needed a little boost. Even through my scarred skin, the metal hungered for the Air magic, itching and burning against my hand.

"I don't understand how you were even hurt." She murmurs, "Nothing can get past your Stone magic."  
>"I didn't use my magic." I shrug. Images of my mother and sister being burned alive and for a moment the air smelled like charred flesh. My stomach flips and I have to grind my teeth together to stop myself from retching.<p>

"Why not?" Rachel asks, her eyes still a buttermilk color  
>"I don't want to depend on it. Because I know the moment I do, that's when it fails me and I die. I've seen it happen over and over again." I tell her as she moves her hands to my side, tingles explode from where Elliot punched me.<p>

"Magic is only as strong as the person wielding it. Santana, your magic won't let you down because you never let yourself down." She moves to the bruises on my jaw and back, "One day you're going to have to trust it to save your life." I wasn't sure if she was saying this because of some kind of precognition or whatever but I wasn't buying it. Especially now that I can't even trust myself to save the people most important to me.

"Maybe. But what if I meet someone stronger than me? Throw icicles and rocks at them?" I half-joke.

Flinging raw power at each other. That's how elementals settled a score. Fights can last from seconds to hours, depending on the difference of power between the two people. But eventually, one persons magic will overpower the other.

Flayed by Air.

Frozen by Ice.

Pummeled by Stone.

Burned by Fire. Just like my mother and older sister had been.

I shook my head, banishing the ugly images, "No thanks. All I need are my knives. Magic is too easy, makes you take unnecessary chances and stupid risks. I'll use it when I have to but there's no way I'd ever depend on it."

Besides, I'd already done horrible things with my magic. Used it to kill way before I even met Finn. I didn't mention that I had used it to crumble my house down on top of my own sister. Using my magic only reminded me of everything I had done and I'd rather not have to be reminded. I get enough of it during the night. When the nightmares come.

"If you say so, Santana." Rachel says, dropping her hands. I hear the front door open and the footsteps heading in our direction.

Mercedes Jones steps casually into the salon, like she had just gotten back from buying groceries instead of cleaning dead bodies off the floor.

Mercedes was Rachel's best friend from high-school. She was plus sized but had the most beautiful ebony skin with dark curls flowing down her back. The two of them were in some sort singing club together but you'd never guess because of how raspy her voice was. She sounded like she had smoked non-stop from the age of four. She was wearing a black leather jacket over a bright pink shirt, a pink headband, black jeans and boots.

She plopped down on a chair beside me and examined her pink, patterned nails. Rachel leaned over and rubbed her arm and gave her friend a half-smile. Despite their differences and sometimes, their fights. The two are very close.

"Any problems getting rid of the bodies?" I ask and Mercedes black eyes met mine, she shakes her head.

Like Rachel's healing, I had also inherited Mercedes' talents when Finn retired from the business. I don't really know how she does the cleaning, where she disposes of the evidence, where she hides the bodies or why she even likes doing the dirty work. But Finn never questioned her and I'm not about to start.

"Good. I'm going to need you to take care of the Pork Pit for a couple of days." I murmur, "Why?" I tell her everything that happened and for a moment, I swear I could see something dark and somber pass through her face but I couldn't really tell. Mercedes rarely showed any emotion. "So make sure to call the cops in the morning." I instructed her.

As soon as I've cleared up the arrangements with Mercedes, I tapped on Puck's shoulder, jerking him awake. "Let's go Puckerman. We still have stuff to do." I say, putting on the bloody clothes again.

"Like what? You two should rest, you know how much healing takes out on anyone." Rachel asks as she hands me the jacket.

I run my hands through my hair, "we were able to get some things from the guys at Puck's apartment, I want to go through them."

"Also, we need to keep an ear on the news. Ken Tanaka's attempted murder is big news in little old Willowfield and we need to know all the information that's being leaked into the press." Puck says from beside me.

Rachel simply nods, "well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me or Mercedes. Finn was a dear friend and I know you'll be busy so if you'd like, i'll take care of the funeral arrangements."  
>"Hm-mm." Mercedes grunts her approval<br>"We will. Thank you, Rachel. That would be wonderful, I'm not very good at planning and I don't trust Puck enough to do it." I tell the two women as I follow Puck out the door.

"Santana?" Rachel calls out as I'm walking down the wooden steps  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Take care of yourself. Tell Puck to do the same." She says and something in her voice unnerves me, like she knows something bad is about to happen.

I nod, ignoring the sinking feeling. "We will."

Thirty minutes later, after hiding Puck's car a few blocks away and running my hands along the stone to make sure that the vibrations were low and steady as usual, we were in my apartment.

Whoever hired Elliot didn't know where I lived. Otherwise, she would have been in here, waiting for me to get home. I still took the precaution of using my magic to trace runes into the stone outside the door. Small, tight, spiral curls—the symbol for protection. The runes shimmered with a silver color before sinking into the stone. If someone tried to get into the apartment tonight, my magic would trigger the runes and echo through the stone—rising to a shrill shriek that would wake me from the deepest, deadest sleep.

I was glad for the rest. I didn't really want to deal with any more blood and dead bodies.

Not tonight.

Even I had my limits.

"Fake." Puck pronounced, dropping the last of the IDs into the pile in front of us.  
>"How are you even sure?"<br>"The Willowfield logo is on the wrong side. It's supposed to be on the left not right above the photo."

We had been sitting here with our fourth cup of coffee to see if we could find anything on the men's identity. No hits so far. All the IDs were fake and there was barely anything else in the wallets other than money.

Something gold glistened from under the pile and I pulled out Shorty's thick gold chain. A small medallion hung from the end- A triangle-shaped tooth with a jagged edges.

"What do you think of this, though?" I ask him, holding up the medallion into the light.  
>"A cheap piece of jewelry."<br>"C'mon. Look again. Seriously."

He paused for a few second, examining the medallion in my hand "A rune? A tooth?"  
>"The symbol for strength and prosperity." I tell him<br>"You think an elemental is involved in this?"  
>"I'm sure of it."<br>"How do you know?"  
>"There were some overturned tables and chairs, busted windows, paper everywhere, like a tornado had ripped through it." An easy lie, "Although I've never seen this rune before and I know all the runes of all the major families in Willowfield."<br>"Well, it's not a sunburst, so it's not Blaine."  
>"Maybe. Maybe not."<p>

Puck shrugs and jerks his head towards the television, The top story was the incident at the opera house. Puck and I moved to the couch to watch the spectacle.

A reporter stood outside the opera house. Red and blue lights flickered in the background. "A tragedy occurred last night at the Willowfield Opera House, as a deranged woman attempted to kill one of the attendees. The target was believed to be Ken Tanaka, the chief financial officer of Nova Industries." The same headshot of Tanka that was in Finn's file popped up on the screen. The reporter recounted the events of the evening, albeit with a great of fake events. Now, instead of busting into the box seats, detective Danielle Lovato had prevented me from entering it, with an innocent bystander tragically losing his life in the process.

Media bullshit.

"Even though Tanaka was not harmed in the initial incident, he was involved in a traffic accident on his way home. A large SUV hit the limousine he was in. Police say the impact ignited the gas tank, and the vehicle exploded. Tanaka and his driver were pronounced dead at the scene."

The television cut to a shot of a limo engulfed by flames. Killing Tanaka, torturing Finn. Our mystery girl has been very busy tonight.

"They killed him anyway," Puck murmured. "They really must have wanted him dead."  
>The reporter appeared on the screen again. "Tanaka was attacked by this woman, believed to be the businessman's disgruntled former lover. She is also believed to have caused the car accident that led to his death. Police have not gotten a name, but a detective on the scene of the first incident has provided officials with this sketch."<p>

A moment later, my face appeared on the monitor. Or at least, what might have passed for my face if you tilted your head just right and squinted real hard. It wasn't a completely inaccurate rendering. Danielle had at least gotten my eyes and the hard set of my mouth right, even if the black toboggan had hidden my bleached blond hair. Still, I wasn't worried about someone recognizing me from the sketch. It was too rough for that.

Besides, people never really looked at those things anyway, not in a city like Willowfield.

Speaking of Danielle, hers was the next face to flicker onto the screen. She stood behind one of the senior captains, who was speaking into a microphone. More cops following them.

"… and although she did not succeed in harming Mr. Taraka initially, she is still wanted for his murder."

That was the captain speaking. According to the TV, his name is Sandy Ryerson. A giant with pale eyes and stubby, receding blonde hair, whose once trim physique was going to fat. Perhaps it was the media spotlight, but Ryerson looked stressed. A greenish hue tinged his pasty skin, and he wiped a sheen of sweat off his forehead with a white handkerchief every six seconds.

A reporter waved her hand, shouting Danielle's name and trying to get her to answer a question. The detective scowled and opened her mouth to respond, but the captain stepped in front of her, blocking her from view.

"Nice defense," Puck says. "Somebody doesn't want Danielle talking about what really happened."  
>"Honesty will get you killed in this city." I murmur, watching the report more closely<br>All the reporters started speaking at once, a flock of cawing crows shouting questions at Lovato and the other officials. Captain Ryerson held out his arms for silence.

"We want to send a message to the woman who killed Mr. Tanaka. Whoever you are, wherever you are, if you're out there watching us, know this—we're going to do everything in our power to find you."  
>Puck elbowed me. "Looks like somebody's got the hots for you, Santana." he says, wiggling his eyebrows like an idiot.<p>

The captain, Ryerson, kept talking. "Mr. Tanaka's employer, Nova Industries, has authorized me to announce a reward for information leading to the capture and arrest of his murderer."

The captain gestured to his right and Kitty Wilde steps forward. Sometime during the night she was able to change from her green dress to a black pantsuit.

Kitty was the head of marketing and public relations. The company mouthpiece. The sight of Kitty Wilde added to the reporters' frenzy.

"Kitty! Kitty! How much are you offering?" one of them screamed from off camera.  
>Kitty put her lips close to the microphone. "One million dollars." Puck and I sat there in stunned silence.<p>

She also talked about what a great guy Tanaka was and how she hopes the reward will bring justice to his murdered sooner rather than later.

The press conference finally ended, but the reporters still tried to ask the police captain and Danielle a few more questions. But Ryerson waved them off, and he and Detective Lovato left the podium and disappeared from sight, along with Kitty Wilde.

"A million bucks? Every eye in Willowfield will be looking for you." Puck says  
>"Yeah."<br>"Hell for that much, I'm tempted to turn you in myself."  
>I stared at him<br>"Not the I ever would of course." he smiles, "friendship is much more important than money."  
>"I can't believe you said that with a straight face." I chuckled<br>"Me neither." He smiles

"We need a plan, Santana." Puck says somberly  
>"I have one." I say, taking a sip of my cooling coffee<br>"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this?"

I smiled at him, "It's easy. All we have to do is meet with Danielle Lovato."

Silence. Puck stared at me for a few seconds. Then he stuck one finger in his ear, wiggled it around, and pulled it out, as if clearing wax out of the passageway.

"Sorry, Santana, but I think you stayed in the loony house a little too long. Because that's the craziest idea you've ever had. Meet with Danielle Lovato? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"It makes perfect sense. She was at the opera house to see Tanaka. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to kill him, blame me, and tie the whole thing off with my death. That tells me this is about more than just embezzled funds. I want to talk with Danielle and see what she knows. See why she was meeting with Tanaka."

Puck scratched his chest and leaned against the back of the couch. The muscles in his shoulders rolled and bulged with the movement. "And how do you propose to get Lovato to tell you all that?"  
>"Because we know something she doesn't."<br>"And that would be …"  
>"That somebody in the police department is in on this."<br>"This is Willowfield, Santana. The police are usually in on it. They make careers out of that sort of thing." I stared at Puck.  
>He sighed. "Fine. Tell me what you're thinking."<p>

"Before he died, Elliot told me a paper trail had already been set up, linking me to Ken Tanaka. The guy at your apartment said the cops were looking high and low for me. A couple hours later, my distorted sketch is all over the news, along with my supposed relationship with Ken Tanaka. How could all that happen without an inside guy in the police department?"

"Something the detective could figure out herself, if she was smart enough," Puck said. "I still don't see how this will get the detective to help you."  
>"She might be smart, but Danielle has a blind eye and soft spot for her fellow boys in blue. She's loyal to them and the idea that cops are good people. You saw how hot and bothered she was to find her partner's killer. How do you think she'll react if I tell her somebody in the department is helping a murderer? And that he was okay with taking her out too just for being there?"<p>

Puck thought about it. "She'd probably be pissed."  
>"Exactly. So I'll offer to trade information with her. She helps me find the person who set us up. I help him root out corruption in the police department. You know what a do-gooder Lovato is. I'll appeal to her sense of justice."<p>

Puck shook his head. "That elemental magic in your veins has finally driven you crazy, Santana. Insanity. Complete fucking insanity. Did you see that press conference? Lovato isn't exactly running the police department. Her captain shuffled her to the background for a reason—to keep her quiet."

"Which is all the more reason to go to her. She was trying to protect Ken Tanaka and she can tell me what he was up to. Plus, she's probably the only cop in the city who won't shoot me on sight. Or try to."  
>"Maybe, maybe not. But I still don't like this plan."<p>

I went over to the sofa, sat down, and put my feet up on the coffee table. "Do you have a better idea, Puckerman? Because if you do, tell me. I'm the one wanted for a murder. Normally, that wouldn't bother me, except this time I'm actually innocent. A victim, even."

Puck took a few seconds to think, "No."  
>"thought so."<br>"But how do you know she will even listen to you?" Puck asked. "You killed Weston, Santana. She might not have known that before, had no clue of who you were or what you looked like, but after your performance at the opera house last night, I'm willing to bet she's put two and two together."

I thought of Danielle's hesitation on the balcony. She could have shot me, and the case would have been closed. Could have put a bullet in my heart as easy as I could slam a knife into hers. But she hadn't.

"The detective wants to figure out who's behind this, too. Her sense of honor, of duty, won't let her leave it alone. Especially when she realizes she would have been just as dead as Tanaka if I hadn't done anything."

"All right," Puck said. "Say the good detective does want to see truth and justice and all those other things good guys fight for. How do you propose we make contact with Lovato? Without getting shot or otherwise immediately killed? Somebody's sure to be keeping tabs on her."  
>"Simple," I replied. "We're going to do the thing the Air elemental and the cops will least expect us to do."<p>

Puck dropped his head on his hands. "Don't say it. Please don't say it."

"We're going to pay Danielle Lovato a visit—in broad daylight."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Don't forget to leave a review!<br>Next chapter we'll see how Dani will react and how she's going to fit into Santana's plan.  
>Stay tuned!<strong>_


	9. Crimson Fountain

_**Hello again. :)**_

_**Okay. So. There's a lot of questions about when Brittany will appear, why there's so much Dani, etc. so let me clear it up :)**_

_**1. This is a Brittana fic but there will be Dantana in the beginning. Brittany will make an appearance this chapter but her role doesn't come in until later.**_

_**2. Dani is just part of Santana's character arc. So don't worry fellow Brittana stans, Dantana is not endgame. :)**_

_**3. I'll explain how Santana killed her sister in future chapters but it has something to do with when she was tortured and how she reacted.**_

_**On to the chapter? Yes?**_

* * *

><p><em>"Crying won't do you any good, kid." A low-gentle voice cut through the sound of my sobs, followed by footsteps approaching me.<em>

_Wiping my nose, I glanced up and see a young man, maybe late twenties, dark brown hair. A dirty blue apron covered his white shirt and pants. He had a black trash bag in each hand._

_"Tears are waste of time, energy and resources." he tells me. His tone serious as if he's imparting some great cosmic knowledge on me._

_My family was dead. My home burned down to ground. I didn't have anywhere to go and nobody to turn to. I was cold, hungry, angry and alone. I had every reason to cry. I thought angrily, how can he come out of nowhere telling me what I should do? Who the hell does he think he is?_

_The man looked at me, his deep gaze taking in my tattered clothes, my collarbone sticking out, the dirt on my face, matted and tangled hair. I hear him sigh before setting the bag on his right hand down and reaching into the other._

_"What are you doing?" I ask him, panicked. If he pulled out a knife to attack me, I would have to reach for my magic to defend myself. I'd have to form an Ice dagger and stab him first. I'd have to use my magic to kill- again._

_The man pulled out a brown paper bag that had a picture of a pig in front, he held it out to me, "there's a burger and some fries in here. Take out the that nobody picked up. You can have them." My stomach screamed yes but I shook my head. Nobody gave you anything for free, not here. He'd probably want me to give him a blowjob right here in this alley, or worse. I wasn't desperate enough to do that- yet._

_The man shrugged, "Suit yourself."_  
><em>He opened the dumpster and he threw in both black bags, the brown one followed.<em>  
><em>Humming a tune I wasn't familiar with, he turned his back to me and stepped back into the restaurant. I counted the seconds in my head, ten, twenty, thirty... when I reached sixty, I crawled out of my hiding place and ran to the dumpster. Grabbing the paper bag before the rats got through the thin paper.<em>

_I sprinted back and crawled into a my hole in the wall and ripped open the bag, tearing into the burger and chewed._

_It was so good I wanted to cry. It was juicy and I could taste everything from the perfectly grilled meat to the crisp tomatoes and lettuce. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten meat._

_Hands shaking, I tore open the small paper box and grabbed six or seven fries, pushing them all into my mouth at once. The cheese and bacon sauce on top of it tasted salty and juicy. After all the rotten garbage that I had eaten, this lukewarm meal tasted like heaven-_

"Fuck!"  
>My eyes flew open, my hand was already around the handle of the knife under my pillow before I even realized who it was.<br>"Son a bitch!"  
>The exasperated voice came again.<p>

Puck. Only Puck.

I told myself, forcing my body to relax. I slid the knife from my hands and tucked it back in it's place, got out of bed and dragged my feet into the kitchen where Puck's cursing was coming from. He was standing in front of the toaster in just his boxers, flipping a toaster pastry from one hand to another to keep from getting burned.

"Have you ever heard of a plate, Puckerman?" I ask, sliding a small plate across the counter.  
>"I didn't want to make a mess, I know how much you hate cleaning." He tells me, placing his pastry on the counter.<br>"What time is it?"  
>"Ten in the morning." He takes a bite out of his pastry but spits it back out, "fucking hot." he mutters<br>"I feel like shit." I tell him, settling in one of the bar stools in front of the counter.  
>"Same."<p>

Being healed by an Air elemental always took it's toll on your body as it adjusts to being broken, bruised, cut or wounded to being okay again. But this was different, my legs and arms ached and my shoulders seem like it's in a permanent slump. My body just felt heavy. It could be the healing or maybe it was because my body was so physically used yesterday that it hasn't, yet, fully recovered.

It's one of the reasons I didn't like to use my magic, it always drained me.

The toaster popped out another pastry. Puck grabbed it and tossed it at me. I grabbed the thin wafer in my hand without flinching. The heat didn't really bother me. Thanks to the scars on my hands.  
>"Are you sure you want to do this?" Puck asks, his voice serious. I knew what he was talking about, meeting with the detective.<br>"Puck, for the millionth time since last night, yes."  
>"You do understand how risky this is, don't you?"<br>"I know, but it's the only way we can get the information we need. We both know it." I tell him. He nods and I nibbles on his pastry. "I still don't like it."  
>"Well you can start liking it in the shower, we need to go."<p>

On our drive to the detective, I kept reviewing Ken Tanaka's file and the more I looked at it, the less it seemed like he was any sort of embezzler. For one thing, he didn't need the money. He had millions tucked away in secure offshore accounts. He also didn't spend enough money to have a need to embezzle it. Other than his expensive suits, deep-sea fishing trips every few months, and weekly visits to hookers, Tanaka tucked most of his money away. He even gave more than a million dollars to breast cancer research every year, in honor of his dead mother.

Sure a lot of people hide their true nature behind charity fund-raisers and smiles. But on paper, Ken Tanaka seemed like a good enough guy. Nothing on this file suggested that he had the desire to steal. He just wasn't greedy enough.

I noticed that all his hooker friends worked at Sky Splits, an upscale nightclub that would cater to each and every need, desire or addiction you had; blood, sex, alcohol, a combination of two or three, you'll get your fill as long as you have the cash.

Hmm. Puck and I might have to pay Quinn Fabray a visit.

"We're here, my source told me that Dani, as she is known to her friends, likes to eat lunch at the Cake Walk. Everyday." Puck says as we park the car near the restaurant. It was a small restaurant that specialized in dessert, soups and sandwiches, located near the college. I had eaten there a couple of times. Too much sugar for my taste.

"Let me go in with you." Puck says as we wait. "You're going to need some back up, just in case she decides that she wants to take you in."  
>"Cops like Dani try to avoid collateral damage. Besides, I don't need to worry about you while I'm talking to her. It's better if you're ready with the car in case we need to make a quick escape."<br>He grumbled but said nothing more.

We sat here for almost an hour, Puck busied himself by staring at the coeds that walked and sat around the street and I watched for the detective.

"Where do you think she is? She should have been here by now. My sources say she usually get here by twelve-thirty and it's a quarter to one." Puck asks impatiently.  
>I was about to suggest that maybe she wasn't coming when Detective Lovato rounded the corner. She strolled down the street, again with that easy confidence that I had found so attractive. She wore a simple black dress that ended just above her knees, black leather jacket, and black boots. Her blue hair was a little messy, like she had been running her fingers through it all day and her lips were pressed together into a thin, tight line. I could see the frustration in her brown-green eyes.<p>

She went walked straight to the Cake Walk and went inside. I continued to watch the flow of people when I see these two men appear from around the corner about thirty seconds behind Dani.

They had the corporate look down pat and blended in well with the crush of businessmen, except for a couple things. First of all, they were taking their time, leisurely walking, not in a hurry to get back to the office like everyone else was. Second, their faces were harder, colder than those of the corporate raiders around them. Third and most telling, they held their arms slightly out to their sides in a manner that suggested each one had a gun stuffed inside their suit jacket. Maybe two

One of them stopped by a sidewalk vendor and bought a newspaper, while the other lit a cigarette.  
>"The good ole' detective has a tail."<br>"I expected as much. Question is, does she know about it or not? Undercover cops?" I ask  
>"No, definitely not cops. Even the dirtiest of the dirty cops know better than to sport three-thousand dollar suits. They're wearing the newest line from Unique Adams' collection."<p>

I watched the men, the one with the newspaper seemed content in watching Dani while the smoker was more adventurous. He went over to a couple of girls that were sat outside the Cake Walk. The man struck up conversation with the three girls before pulling out a piece of paper and handed it to the girl with the long light brown hair.

That could be useful.

"Keep an eye on those girls. Make sure they don't wander away while I'm inside."  
>"Gladly." Puck replied, his tone devilish<br>I waited a few more minutes but the two men made no move to step inside the restaurant, just casually looking up whenever anyone entered through the door.

"Alright, I'm going in, if i'm not back out within twenty minutes-"  
>"I leave you behind." He finishes for me, "I know the drill, Santana. Finn and I have been doing this long before you came around."<p>

The mention of Finn's name cast a shadow on both our faces, Puck quickly looks away from me and even with his sunglasses I can tell that he's blinking back tears. You can tell by how by the muscles in his jaw contracts. The same sadness that overpowered me in the shower last night. Reducing me to tears. I reached across and held his hand in mine, "wish me luck." I whispered before stepping out of the car.

I walked at an angle towards the front door, like I was coming in from the community college. I shook my hand slightly, just enough that my thumb can caress the the handle of the knife. I notice that the man with the newspaper had peaked over whatever he was reading to look at me but he didn't recognize me from my police sketch.

I brushed my hands along the stone by the door as soon as I step inside the cake walk. The vibrations were cheerful, loud and happy, much like the workers and the customers that come and go everyday. The smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar flavored the air. You could almost feel your blood sugar shoot up just by breathing in the air in here.

Dani was sat at the corner booth, the one farthest from the door. She had taken her jacket off, exposing her toned arms. She was nibbling on a grilled cheese sandwich. A large glass of iced tea, a small plate of miniature chocolate chip cookies and some pickles decorated her table top. A girl with a healthy appetite.

I went down the assembly line and chose a slice of Lemon Pound Cake and a glass of Lemonade. They looked delicious and I almost feel bad that I'm not even going to be able to taste them, I had no time to eat or drink. I kept an eye on Dani. The detective was focused on her food, not looking up from her sandwich even once. The men following her made no move to go in so I decided to go ahead with my plan.

I payed for my meal and casually walked over to her table, plopping my train in front of hers. "That seat's taken." Dani says without looking up, her voice tight and it's obvious how stressed she is.  
>"Don't worry, Detective. I won't stay long." I tell her sweetly<p>

She instantly recognized my voice because her body tenses up; different ways of capturing me flashing in her mind, calculating how much damage we both could cause in this packed restaurant. I could see her shoulders and biceps coiling, gathering strength, getting ready to attack.

Dani slowly placed her sandwich down on top of her plate and shifted her gaze to meet mine.  
>"May I join you?" I smiled<br>Just as expected, Dani didn't panic. She didn't lunge across the table, didn't pull out her gun and start shooting. Instead she leaned back against the booth and regarded me coolly, an awed expression played across her lips.  
>"You're either the bravest or stupidest assassin I have ever met." She half-laughs<br>I shrug.  
>"Why are you here? To finish me off?" She asks, her tone flat but her eyes were burning across my face, taking in all my details so she could get a better sketch out to the public.<br>"Sadly, no. I'm not here to kill you, detective. I just want to talk." Her eyes narrow and she glanced at the gun on her hip. "and if I were you detective, I wouldn't do anything stupid like pull out my gun." I tell her as I take my seat.  
>"You're out here in the open, so close to the police station, give me one good reason why I shouldn't." She says, her eyes dancing between me and her gun.<p>

I jerked my head toward the window, "See that car over there? The SUV?"  
>He nodded<br>"One of my friends is in that car with a wide variety of guns. If I don't come back there in ten minutes, he's going to start shooting coeds. If i'm followed or marked in any way, he will start shooting coeds. If he gets bored or he develops an itch on his balls, he's going to start shooting coeds. Your choice, Dani."

I didn't mention that I also had my usual five-point arsenal of silverstone knives and that I could simply stab him dead and walk away. I'm hoping it wouldn't come to that and that the detective was smarter than most of the cops in this city. I needed the detective and she needed me too, if only she could see it.

She didn't answer but I notice her body start to relax away from her gun, she grabbed her sandwich and took another bite. "Fine. What do you want?"  
>I took a sip of my iced tea, "I have a... proposal for you."<br>She snorted and placed her sandwich down again, "what? letting me choose how I want to die?"  
>"No, but I figured you might be interested in finding out who hired me to kill Tanaka."<br>Her brows scrunched together, "you know who it was?"  
>"No, but I'm going to find out."<br>"Why?"  
>"Because they double crossed me. Did you find the body up on the catwalk? That's the second assassin they hired to take me out."<p>

Dani laughed- a harsh laugh.

"And that surprised you?" he laughs, "the lack of honor among murderers and criminals?"  
>"No. But my reputation has been affected by this and I plan on correcting it."<br>"Reputation? So you have a name? Some stupid nickname that doesn't mean anything to anyone but yourself?" She asks in a flat tone.  
>"Some people call me the Spider."<p>

The slight bulge in her eyes and the way the arrogant smile disappeared from her lips told me that she knew who I was. I could tell she was thinking about Brody Weston and whether or not I was the one that killed him. I guess it's better to get it out now than later when the stakes are higher. If he reacted by trying to kill or arrest me then I'd kill him right here and now. I had no problem waiting for another lead to pop-up.

"If you're wondering if I was the one that killed your partner, the answer is yes."

Dani leaned forward on her elbows, her gaze was burning with rage. "You killed Weston and you have the guts to come here and tell me you have a proposal for me? Are you insane?"  
>I also leaned forward, our faces were inches apart "No. I just hope you're not too stupid to hear me out."<p>

"These people tried to kill me, that really doesn't bother me. But they killed my handler and almost beat another of my associates to death. They crossed the line, even among murderers."  
>"Am I supposed to feel sorry you?"<br>"No, detective. I don't need or want your sympathy. What I'm offering you is my help."

She considers this for a moment, leaning back against the booth and studying my face. For any tell-tale signs to help him gauge if I was lying or telling the truth but I've learned long ago to keep a blank expression.

"Even if I were able to ignore the fact that you killed my partner; aside from a knife in the back, what would I get in return?"  
>"If you agree to work with me, you feed me all your leads and theories. I give you all my information on the case and my services. For free. Win-win situation."<br>She shakes her head, "your services? you mean, you'll kill people for me?"  
>"You're going to need help taking care of the people that did this." I answer simply<br>"Lady, I'm a cop. I can handle myself just fine."  
>My turn to scoff.<p>

"Really? is that why Ryerson kept you in the back during the interviews? Is that why I'm the one being blamed for Tanaka's murder even when we both know that I was busy fishing myself out of the river?"  
>She didn't say anything.<br>"Think about it. How quickly things happened. How fast my supposed connection to Tanaka was discovered, and my sketch plastered on television. And then there's you, detective. That guy outside of the box wasn't just going to drop Tanaka. He was going to do you, too. You know that as much as I do. Whoever cop knew about this was okay with you getting dead. Guess somebody doesn't like you very much, detective."

Silence. Dani shifted in her seat. Her index finger tapped out a pattern on the tabletop. A muscle twitched in her right cheek. She wanted to go for her gun. But her eyes flickered to the SUV parked outside and I could see her force her body to relax.

"Whoever put the hit on Tanaka isn't going to stop even if I get thrown in jail or killed. Not in this city, not with Blaine in charge but I doubt he had anything to do with this."  
>"Why?" She asked<br>"Because Blaine likes to deal with things personally, it's the only fucking this I admire about him."

Silence again. I could tell that Dani was really thinking about whether I was right or not.

"Think about my offer, Detective." I tore a small piece of cake and popped it into my mouth, when I swallow I point the fork at her, "You were meeting Tanaka for a reason. Somebody didn't like it and decided you were both better off dead."

"What guarantee do I have that this isn't some elaborate scheme to kill me?" she asks me, leaning her elbows on the table. I did the same, meeting her intense gaze with my own dark ones. "Because, Detective. If I wanted you dead, I could have slit your throat the moment I approached you in here."

She stiffens.

"But I'm not going to do that..." I say, casually leaning back in my seat, "Because you're the only one that can help me get to the bottom of this. We need each other, whether we like it or not."

My watch quietly beeps, "I guess we're out of time, detective." I say, sliding out of the booth. "If you agree to my proposal, turn on your porch light on at exactly six o'clock. I'll bring all the information and evidence I have and we can go through it. Double-cross me and you'll end up just like Tanaka, lying lifeless on a cold steel slab at the morgue." I tell her quietly, leaning in to make sure she hears me.

"And if I don't turn the light on?"  
>"Then just stay the hell out of my way."<br>"Are you threatening me?"  
>"No." I say, backing towards the door. "The woman that did this has taken a very dear brother to a very dear friend; that's something I can never forgive and I'm determined to make that bitch pay. You have a choice, Detective. You can either help me catch the bitch and the dirty cop, or you can go take your time picking through all the blood and dead bodies when I'm done."<p>

Dani stared at me, her face unreadable. I nodded at her and turned before walking out into the blazing afternoon heat.

As Puck coasts the SUV towards the front of the store,I listened for the sound of the bell over the front door. Even though I'd admitted to killing her partner, Dani wasn't charging after me, gun drawn and screaming—yet.

Neither of the two men tailing him looked in my direction. I eyed the second man, the one that approached that coeds, committing his features to memory. A tall guy, with thinning black hair, a thick neck, and a toned body. He grinned at the pretzel vendor, showing off a set of fangs. A vampire. One who wasn't very big on personal hygiene, judging from the yellow tint to his teeth.

My gaze cut to the coeds. Still slurping on their mochas. They wouldn't go anywhere for a few minutes. Good. Puck pulled the black SUV up to the curb beside me. I opened the passenger's side door and hopped inside. As soon as I closed the door, Puck peeled away from the sidewalk.

When we reached the stoplight at the end of the block, I watch the detective come out of the Cake Walk. She scribbled something on a small pad in his hand before walking towards the station. Probably to report the car and try to track us down.

Typical. Try to do someone a favor and they send the cops after you.

"Puck, I need you to circle around the block and then back to the Cake Walk."  
>"Want to tell me why?" he asked but did as I asked.<br>"You'll see."

Five minutes later, we were back in the same spot we were parked on earlier. When I was sure Dani and her two friends were gone, I got out of the car and headed for the group of girls that the vampire was talking to. I dug into my pocket and pulled out some crumpled cash, three hundred dollars. Should be more than enough for what I have in mind.

I stopped in front of the girls and flashed the money at them, "ladies, can I have a moment of your time?"  
>The girls looked at each other then back at me, "Sorry." one of the the blonde says, "we're not hookers."<br>"I'm not looking for hookers. I want to talk to you girls about the man that went up to talk to you earlier. Big bulky guy with a receding hairline. I was watching him and I saw him gave you something, I'm guessing a business card?" I ask her  
>A second girl, a pretty brunette with short hair, snorted "Yeah, says he's a scout for a modeling agency. Like we all haven't heard that before."<p>

The three women shared a harsh, knowing laugh. So young but so wise, I liked them.

"Give me the card and I'll give you a hundred bucks each, no weird shit." I tell them, repeating what I told the woman in the elevator last light. One of the girls, the one that had the card reached it out to me when the blonde stopped her.  
>"Why would you want his number anyway?" the blonde asks<br>"I'm a private investigator working for his wife. Every little thing I catch him for is another nail in his coffin. Wanna help a sister out?"  
>The three women looked at each other, "go ahead Sugar. Give her the card." the blonde says to her friends and Sugar hands the card out to me again.<p>

I took it and looked at the girl, her brown eyes locking with mine, "Sugar? as in-"  
>"Sugar Pierce. One and only." she tells me cheerfully as I hand her the cash.<p>

Sugar Pierce. Part owner of the B.S.P Metalworking empire. The largest producer of steel and metal in all of Willowfield.  
>"Sugar?" A light voice calls out from behind me, I hear Sugar sigh as she picks up her bag. Handing the wad of cash to the pretty brunette, "Bye, girls." she murmurs<br>"Coming, Britt." Sugar calls out and I watch her as she makes her way to a white Camaro. A tall blonde was standing next to it, holding the passenger door open.  
>"Is this the creep you texted me about?" The blonde asks harshly and for a moment I'm dazzled by her bright blue eyes when her eyes locked with mine. They looked like miniature oceans reduced to the size of her pupils.<p>

Mesmerizing.

"No, Britt. The creep's gone, she just wanted to check on us and see if she could have the business card he gave us." Sugar tells her.  
>"Why would you want a creep's phone number?"<br>"No reason." I lie, still unable to tear myself from her eyes.  
>"Whatever you do with it, try to stay out of trouble. Guys like that are never good news." She says as she closes the passenger door and makes her way to the driver side<br>"What makes you think I'd be getting myself into trouble?"

"You look like the type." She winks before sinking down into her seat and disappearing.  
>For a moment I couldn't help but smile, I couldn't remember the last time someone attractive flirted with me.<p>

Brittany Pierce.  
>Hmm.<p>

I turned my attention to the two women left on the bench, "pleasure doing business with you, ladies." I told them giving them my most winning smile before heading back to the car.

"If you're looking for some girl-on-girl-on-girl-on-girl action, I want in." Puck says as soon as I get in.  
>"Only in your dreams, Puckerman." I stared at the wrinkled card in my hand. Hunter Clarington. A phone number was printed right below his name but the logo on the right side caught my eye. A triangular shaped tooth with jagged edges.<p>

The air elemental rune.

"What was this detour about anyway?" He asks, as the car roars to life  
>"Putting a name to the face. Let's go."<p>

We dumped the car in another random parking garage and boosted another, a late model Benz. We took a circular route and drove aimlessly for about an hour, killing time while we waited for the detective. As Puck drove around Willowfield, I stared out the window. Everything looked so normal, so innocent in the burbs. Soccer moms hauling around vans full of unruly kids. People power-walking with their dogs. A Fire elemental letting flames dance over his fingers and doing a few other magic tricks for spare change in one of the parks. An Ice elemental performing a similar show for kids at a playground a mile away.

I couldn't help but imagine what this day might have been like, if I'd listened to Finn's advice about retiring and if I had quit the business six months ago. Or if I hadn't let him talk me into doing the Ken Tanaka hit. If we'd both had just paid more attention to the job and what might be wrong with it, and less on the pay.

Greed would get you every single time, just like luck.

If I had retired early, I might have been over at the Pork Pit, waiting tables during the lunch hour rush, helping back in the kitchen, or trying to make yet another batch of Finn's secret sauce. Or I could have even been dozing on a flight to Key West to take my long-awaited vacation.

Instead, I was on the run from the law and some mysterious power-tripper who wanted me dead. Rock and a hard place. Story of my life.

"I made a couple of phone calls while you were schmoozing the detective." Puck says without taking his eyes off the road, "Mercedes took care of the body in the freezer. She says to tell you good job."

I grimaced, For whatever reason, the bloodier and more mutilated the body, the more she enjoyed her disposal work. I didn't know why. Didn't want to know why. Finn had trusted Mercedes, and that was good enough for me. Her methods and possible fetishes were her own business.

"Before the cops took his body, Mercedes snapped a photo. She figured I'd want to see for myself."

I tensed. Damn it. Goddamn it.

"Why didn't you tell me that he was peeled alive by an Air elemental?"

I could see his eyes but his voice kept catching.

"Because dead is dead. It doesn't really matter how you get there." I tell him quickly  
>"You still should have told me, Santana."<br>"I was trying to spare you the details."

The image of his flayed, ruined face, the malicious glee someone had taken in doing that to him, would always haunt me. Another ghost of the past I'd never be able to banish, no matter how hard I tried. Another visitor in my nightmares.

Because I could have stopped it. Should have stopped it. Should have gotten to the Pork Pit sooner. Should have been stronger, faster, better, smarter. Should have been everything Finn taught me to be.

The SUV bumped over a pothole, breaking the morbid spell. But the tight knot of rage in my chest beat on, keeping perfect time with my heart. Once I got control of myself, I leaned over, put my hand on top of Puck's, and squeezed. He didn't pull away, but he didn't look at me, either. I let go and sat back in my seat. We didn't speak for several minutes.

"What are you going to do with the restaurant?" I asked. "Once this is over? It's yours now."  
>Puck shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't gotten that far yet. I suppose it depends on what we find out—and whether or not we get killed in the process." I nodded.<p>

Nothing to say further. Nothing to do now but wait.

"How long are we going to wait out here? She's had the light on for hours. What are we fucking waiting for?" He asks.  
>"Long enough for her to think we're not coming. Now quit your bitching and keep an eye out on those kids."<p>

The detectives home was along a long stretch of road, her two story contemporary home was surrounded by pine trees. Lucky for us, Dani's neighbor was throwing a party. Two dozen cars lined the streets both ways.

One particularly drunk frat boy had stumbled by, turned, and thrown up all over the hood of our stolen SUV.  
>I had to stop Puck from getting out and rubbing the guy's nose in his own vomit.<br>"It's not even your car," I pointed out. "You lifted it out of a mall parking lot."  
>"It's the principle of the thing," Puck fumed. "This is a Mercedes. You don't puke on a Mercedes."<p>

At exactly six o'clock, Dani's porch light turned on but we decided to stay back in case it was some sort of sting operation and she had cops hiding around the house.

I leaned forward and stared through the goggles at the house. It was after eleven now, and day had long ago given way to night. It would have been dark, if every single light over at Party Central hadn't been turned on and cranked up full blast, along with an impressive sound system. Somebody over there was on a ACDC kick. They'd played "Highway to Hell" so many times I felt like I'd have the song stuck in my head for at least twelve years.

I noticed Dani pacing across the second floor of her home, her hand was held up against her. She was on the phone and appeared to be arguing with whoever she was talking to.

A pair of headlights pooped out right in front of me.

Cursing, I blinked the rainbow spots away. Instead of stopping at party central, the car's headlights snapped off as it glided past us.  
>"What's going on?" Puck asked.<br>I stared through the goggles again, "five men. all armed. one of them went around the back. The other four are heading for the house."  
>"Fuck."<br>"Fuck is right." I muttered, pulling off the goggles. "There's only one reason you send five guys to a house in the middle of the night."

The same scenario had played out when my family had been murdered. The sneak attack late at night. The old memories tugged at me, the hoarse screams echoed in my ears, but I blocked them out. Now was not the time to dwell on the past.

"Somebody's decided the good detective is more of a liability than an asset," Puck finished my thought. "He's probably been asking too many questions about the Tanaka murder."

"Take the rear guard and keep him from coming up behind me. I'll surprise the others."  
>Puck sighed. "So we're going to go help her then?"<br>I didn't answer. I was already outside, running toward the cabin.

A lone man stood outside the front door. His three friends must have slipped inside. I shook my sleeves, and my silverstone knives fell into my hands.

I reached the high wooden porch without being spotted. The guy still stood by the front door, but his body was turned towards the house. He wasn't expecting trouble, at least not from this direction.

I hooked one of my legs onto the porch and pulled myself up. I slithered over to the corner, where the shadows were the deepest, and crouched behind an antique rocking chair. The guard kept looking inside the house.

I got to my feet and adjusted my knife. Hugging the wall, I slid toward the front door.

Another light flared to life on the second story, brightening the yard. Shouts rang out from inside the house. A gun burped once, then twice more. The guard cursed and rocked back and forth on his feet, unsure whether he should charge in or not. He clutched his gun close to his chest, right over his heart.

Marking my target for me. My knife slid into his back, through his ribs, and up into his heart. His blood spurted out onto my hand. Hot. Wet. Sticky.

He yelped out in pain but something crashed deeper inside the house. Drowning his cry.

I pulled the knife out, eased the dead guard to the porch, stepped over him, and slipped inside. The front hallway branched off in three directions; the stairs lay in front of me, and I headed up them.

Again, I hugged the wall, wincing at every creak the steps made as my weight shifted on the old wood. I peered over the lip of the landing. Lights blazed in the last room, several hard slap-slap-saps rang out, followed by a groan. The detective was getting the shit beat out of her.

For some reason that enraged me.

A knife in either hand, I tiptoed down the hallway towards the bedroom. The blurred voices sharpened into meaningful conversation.

"Just tell us where it is," a man said. "You know how pointless this is, don't you? No one's coming to save you,  
>detective."<br>"All we want is the flash drive and any information Ken Tanaka gave to you at the opera house. That's it."  
>"Yeah," another male voice chimed in. "Give it to us quick enough, and we might even let you live."<p>

I rolled my eyes. Liar. The only way Dani was leaving this house was in a black body bag.

A light cough rumbled out, followed by the sound of someone spitting. The detective, hacking up her own blood.  
>"I told you, he didn't give me anything. No flash drive, no fucking files, nothing," She said in a raspy voice. "He didn't have time to before your assassin came into the box."<br>"But you were there to get it," a third man's voice sounded. "He must have told you something, given you something." Another series of slap-slap-slaps sounded, punctuated by the solid thwack of fists hitting flesh. Dani groaned again.

"Where's the boss?" the first voice asked. "She'll get her to talk."  
>"Like she made the Hudson guy talk?" Voice Number Two said.<br>"Creepiest shit I've ever seen, the way she kept ripping off his skin, and the way he kept laughing at her. Even scared the shit out of Hunter and you know what a cold bastard he is."

Finn. They'd been there in the Pork Pit that night. This guy and Hunter Clarington had seen Finn die, probably held him down while the Air elemental did her worst to him. My hands tightened on my knives, and the cold knot of rage in my chest throbbed with anticipation.

"The bastard was tough. The detective here isn't that strong, are you, lady?" Number Three said.  
>"The elemental's on her way," Number Two cut in. "Shouldn't be too much longer. Ten minutes, tops. Just keep hitting her. No reason not to soften him up for her. It'll make his skin peel off easier."<br>"Speaking of the elemental, go downstairs and check on Ryan and Ian, will ya? I don't want those two slacking off and her seeing it."  
>Number Two talking again, although I had no idea if he was addressing One or Three.<br>Didn't much matter. They'd all be dead in another minute. Two, tops.

I crept closer to the bedroom, my back skimming the wall, until I was just next to the doorjamb. Footsteps whispered on the carpet, headed in my direction. I waited, gathering my strength. A shadow fell over me, and a man stepped into the hallway.

I rammed my knife into his chest.

The man screamed and stumbled back. I used his own momentum to shove him deeper into the bedroom. My eyes flicked over the area, taking in everything in a second's time. The detective handcuffed to a chair. Two men dressed in suits standing over her. One guy holding a gun by his side.

The guy I'd stabbed hit an end table, knocked over a lamp, and collapsed to the carpet.

I hurled my other knife at the man with the gun. He jerked to one side, and the blade caught him in the shoulder instead of in the throat. He raised his weapon and fired. I threw myself forward and onto the floor, the rough carpet burning my knees and stomach through my jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt.

But I was already moving. I rolled over and came up onto my hands and knees. My foot lashed out, and my sharp kick caught the third guy in the knee. He yelped and bent forward, putting himself between me and his friend. I plucked a knife from my boot and cut his throat with it. Blood spattered in my eyes and onto my face, but I ignored the uncomfortable, wet, stinging sensation and grabbed hold of the dying man.

One guy left.

He raised his gun and fired three more times. But his friend was in the way, and the bullets thunk-thunked into his back instead of my chest. I pulled myself up and shoved the dead guy at the last man. The body flopped against his wounded arm, and the gun slipped from his hand.

I threw myself at the last guy, but he saw me coming. His fists slammed into my chest.

Hard, solid blows. I jerked back, my foot caught on something, and I fell to the carpet.

He leaped on top of me, wrapping his hands around my throat. I tried to break his grip, but he was stronger. My hands scrabbled on the floor, looking for one of my knives, his gun, anything I could hurt him with.

A leg moved in my peripheral vision and a foot slammed into the guy's head. The man grunted, and his grip on my neck loosened. I shoved him back and rolled out from under him. I grabbed the base of one of the broken lamps. The curved glass had shattered, leaving a sharp, serrated edge about five inches long. Perfect.

The guy clamped a hand on my shoulder and yanked me up, determined to finish choking me. I spun around and slashed his throat.

The glass dug into his flesh, instead of slicing deep and clean the way my knife would have. The edges caught and snagged on his stubbled skin. Nothing easy and painless about it. The man shrieked an ear-splitting sound of keening pain. He tried to jerk away, move away, to push me away but I thought of Finn and how much pain he had endured. This was nothing.

I pulled the glass out, taking chunks of flesh with it, then shoved it right back in. Hard. What had been a trickle of blood increased to a crimson fountain, drenching my torso, jacket, and jeans.

The man's hand clamped down on my shoulder like a vise, making me grit my teeth. Blood and mucus bubbled out of his trembling lips. We stood there. Me pushing the glass deeper and deeper int his neck while his hand tightened even more with every inch. After about thirty seconds, his grip slackened. I shoved him away, and he joined his two dead friends on the floor.

My eyes went to Dani. To my surprise, she had his leg up, ready to kick out with her foot again. The detective stared at me, then the men on the floor. Slowly lowering her boot.

"Sorry about the mess," I said.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Well this was a long one and I am pooped.<strong>_

_**Let me know what you think!**_

_**See you next chapter!**_


	10. Maybe Maybe Not

_**Hey again. :)**_

_**In this chapter, we'll get a brief introduction to Quinn and some Dantana tension. (not sexual tension so don't worry.)**_

**I understand the reaction to Dani x Santana, believe me. I cringe just by typing but it ****must**** be done to build up Brittany. Sadly she doesn't appear this chapter so those of you who don't want to read anything Dantana, please click away now. I'll put a warning like this before any chapter so that those who are here for Brittana don't have to suffer through all the Dantana. :)**

**To everyone staying with me through this story, H! You have no idea how much it makes me happy just by knowing you guys read and like (generally) my work!**

**Anyway, let's stop the sappiness and get on with the chapter, yes?**

* * *

><p>"Want me to look at you face?" I ask<br>"She's pretty good at patching people up..." Puck laughed, "you know, when she's not killing them."  
>The detective grimaced but got to her feet, "Sure." she say, following me into a spare bathroom next to the kitchen.<p>

We were back in my apartment now, after I had killed the Air elemental's men, Dani and I were able to get clothes and guns fast enough before the air elemental arrived.

"Sit." I tell her, pointing to the toilet with it's lid down, she does as she's told, "Wait here." I tell her while I fetched Rachel's healing ointment from my room. The events earlier in the day replaying in my mind.

_"What are we waiting for?" Dani says from the back seat._  
><em>"You'll see." I tell her, "Duck. Here they come." we all bend low as the vehicle passed. A luxury SUV. It coasted to a stop right beside the one already parked outside of the detective's home.<em>  
><em>"More of her men?" Puck asked from beside me<em>  
><em>"No. If what the men inside were saying are true then the elemental herself should be in that car."<em>

_I took my night vision goggles and leaned my elbows on the dashboard, three men stepped out of the vehicle and talked just in front of the hood while a fourth figure stayed in the backseat of the car. Two of the men turned and I recognized them instantly, Hunter Clarington and the other man from tailing the detective earlier today._

_I took note a mental note to look into Mr. Clarington before narrowing my eyes, focusing on the fourth figure in the car. A knot of rage tightening in my chest again. Get out. Get out and show yourself you sadistic little bitch._

_"Is the Air elemental there?" Dani asked_  
><em>"She's sitting in the back seat."<em>  
><em>I hear Puck's hands grip the steering wheel harder, the leather creaking under his hands.<em>

_Hunter made his way towards the far end of the car and held his hand out to the woman. The woman took it as she stepped out of the car, like a Disney princess getting down from a fucking horse-drawn pumpkin carriage._

_"Fuck." I mutter, "She's on the far side of the car with her back to me and she's wearing a fucking cloak. Who the fuck wears cloaks? I can't see anything. Not her face. Not her hair. Nothing." I tell them as I watch the elemental approach the first dead body- the guard by the door that I had stabbed through the heart._

_Puck slams his hand against the steering wheel, "Santana, we can take her out. Right now. They won't be expecting us."_  
><em>"No, I'm not strong enough to take on the elemental. Not yet. Not tonight."<em>  
><em>"But she's right there!"<em>  
><em>"Listen! Air elementals do more than use their fingers to sandblast people's skin off. You might think you know what they can do but you don't."<em>  
><em>"But-"<em>

_Before Puck could finish whatever it was he wanted to say, a strong gust of wind exploded from Dani's home, whistling so loud it felt like a whip was passing through your ears non-stop. The blast of air blew out all the windows in the detectives home before flattening all the thin trees in her yard then rushing down the hill, like a tornado would._

_Mailboxes got ripped off the ground. Cars shook in it's wake. Even a poor cat got blown airborne, knocking the feline a good thirty feet off the ground before hitting the wall of Party Central and landing on its head._

_The car we were in also shook as the wind passed by, it was weaker here from afar but the silverstone in my palms still itched. Hungry to absorb the power._

_"Let's go. Before she realizes we're still here." I tell Puck._

_I was right. I'm not strong enough to beat her- not yet._

When I got back to the bathroom, Dani had her elbows propped on her knees and her head was hanging low, she looked exhausted. She was wearing black denim jeans and a loose shirt that exposed her bruised and battered neck and shoulders. I had already cleaned myself up earlier and I looked more human without all the blood and guts hanging from my clothes.

At the sound of my footsteps against the tiled floor, the detective look up at me; her swollen, battered and bruised face caused my heart to twist and my eyebrows to furrow.

What was I feeling?

"What took you so long?"  
>"Couldn't find what I needed." I replied, waving the container of ointment at her.<br>She sits up as I come closer, "Spread your legs."  
>"Excuse me?<br>I tapped her thighs, "Open your legs up so I can get between them. I can take a look at your face easier that way."  
>"Oh, right. Of course."<p>

The detective spread her legs wide and I got down on my knees between them. The warmth of her body engulfed me immediately. Despite all the blood she was covered with, she still smelled squeaky clean. I'd never thought such a simple aroma could be so intoxicating.

I twisted the lid off the tub and dipped my fingers into the ointment. The white glob felt warm on my fingers, small prickling needles spread up into my hands and arms, making the silverstone rune itch but not as bad as when Rachel would use her undiluted powers on me.

I leaned forward and Dani jerked her head back. What did she think I was going to do? Turn glob into a knife and silt her throat? As if I'd make a mess like that in my own apartment. I was tired and it was late so I grabbed her chin and yanked her head down when she tries to pull away before rubbing the ointment on her cheek.

A few seconds passed and the Air magic slowly starts working, her bruises faded and the cuts on her skin slowly melded together. With her body being healed, Dani relaxed back into the toilet seat.

"Nice grip." Dani says, "Very firm."  
>"Is that a compliment, detective?"<br>She shrugged, "just an observation."

I spread the ointment on her face, including her lower lip which had been split. I swiped my thumb gently across her lips and she stiffened at the intimate contact, but she didn't jerk back or try to pull away. Instead, she studied me. Her eyes scorching a path from my hair, my eyes, down to my breasts.

"What's that on your hand? Body modification?"  
>The rune. I curled my fingers into a loose fist, "Just an old scar. I have lots of them."<br>"I bet you do."  
>Silence. I was too tired to argue with the detective, let her form her own opinions about me. I don't give a shit.<p>

"Why did you save me back there? You could have let them kill me." she asks, her eyes filled with conflicting emotions  
>"I told you. I need you. I need to know what you know, I believe I heard something about a flash drive?" I ask, thankful for the conversation. Anything was better than the tense silence whenever she stares at me.<p>

I rubbed the ointment on her neck and shoulders as she answered, "Yeah, they seem to think that I have it." She tells me, tilting her head slightly to one side to give me more access.  
>"But you don't?"<br>She didn't answer. She knew how to play her cards too so I pulled out a necklace that I had gotten from one of the men at her house, "have you seen this before?"  
>"No, is that a rune?"<br>"Yeah. One I've been seeing a lot lately."  
>She took the rune from me and examined it, her gaze taking in every bit of information from the pendant.<p>

"Detective, you have to make a choice, are you in or out?" I ask, grabbing the necklace and breaking her concentration  
>"What happens if I'm out?"<br>"Tomorrow morning you get out of my home. When the elemental kills you, I'll have some of your cop friends fish you out of the river."  
>"That won't happen." She shook her head<br>"Oh really? I was watching the house before you got attacked, I noticed you were arguing with someone over the phone right before those men showed up." Her brows furrow again.

"I was talking to my captain, Sandy Ryerson. He wanted to talk about the case. That's all. It doesn't prove anything."  
>I placed the cap back on the tub and placed it on the sink beside the detective, "No, but it's one hell of a coincidence."<p>

Silence again. I really hope the detective agrees to my offer. If only she could see how we could work together to solve this case. If only she could look past her hate towards me. I could save her life.

Dani takes the tub and dances her fingers along the Clouded Star rune printed on top, "I'm in." She shook her head, "But not without rules."  
>"Rules?" I ask, washing my hands in the sink<br>"I won't cover anything up for you. I won't kill for you. I won't let you hurt innocent people."  
>"Innocent? I don't think you'll meet very many innocent people on this case, Dani."<br>"Maybe. Maybe not. But those are my rules."  
>"Is that it, Detective?" I ask, I knew there was more.<p>

Instead of answering, Dani stands up and walks straight up to me, she was smaller by a good 3-inches.

"The second this is over, I'm coming for you. Getting justice for Brody Weston's murder will be my top priority once this is done and I don't care if I have to kill you to get it, is that clear?"  
>"Crystal." I said, "Now take your shirt off and rub this on your bruises." I instruct before turning my back and heading for the door.<p>

"Santana?" Dani calls after me, "I heard Puck call you that earlier, is that your name?"  
>I turn and look at her, "More or less."<br>"Santana." She says again, carefully, like testing how the name felt on her tongue. "It suits you."  
>"I'm glad you think so, get yourself together and meet us out there." I say, walking out of the bathroom.<br>"Wait." she calls out again.  
>"What?" I ask impatiently<p>

"Thanks," Dani muttered, you'd think I was twisting her arm the way she forced the words out, "for everything. I wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for you.  
>"You're welcome."<br>She nodded, "But it doesn't change anything. I'm still going to bring you in for Brody Weston's murder- whatever it takes. Dead or alive."  
>"Wouldn't have it any other way, Detective."<p>

When I walk back into the living room, the aroma of Caramel Macchiato invaded my senses and for a moment I thought Finn was going to walk out of the kitchen. I took a minute to just breathe in the aroma, memories of late-nights with Finn flashing in my mind.

"Hey Santana? I hope you don't mind but I found some in your pantry and made myself a cup." Puck's voice drifted from my kitchen, followed by the sound of steaming milk

I wasn't sure how long I've been standing out here but Puck must have been into his second mug judging from the sounds coming from the kitchen.

"I don't mind as long as you make me a cup too." I tell him.  
>"Me too." Dani's voice drifts from behind me. Puck peeks from around the corner and wolf-whistles at the detective. Curious, I turned and almost had to pick my jaw from the floor.<p>

Dani was walking towards me in her bra and jeans, handing me the tub of cream.

Yellowish bruises dotted her stomach and sides. I noticed a tattoo on her right rib but I couldn't tell what it was because her bra strap was in the way.

"I figured, it was better to let the cream air dry. Seeing as it's Air magic. I don't know." She says and I almost giggle. For such a badass, she could be such a dork.  
>"I could help you. I'll blow dry it with my mouth. I don't mind. I'll be more than happy to have my any part of my face near that fine piece of feminine beauty. All. Night. Long." Puck offers<p>

I unconsciously threw the cream at him, making him dart back into the kitchen, "Ignore him. He feels the need to bang anything with a vagina and nice pair of boobs."  
>"O-kay?"<br>"Late-night snack?" I ask her  
>"Sandwich. Turkey this time and less mayo, please." Puck calls from the kitchen, making me roll my eyes<br>"I'll have the same." She tells me and I get to work.  
>"Two sandwiches coming right up."<p>

When we were all filled with coffee and sandwiches, I turn to the detective "I think it's time you told us why you were meeting with Ken Tanaka."  
>She takes a sip of coffee before starting her story, "Ken Tanaka contacted me about three months ago. Said he had information about a major embezzlement scandal at Nova Industries. Said he would give me all the information I needed to put several people away for a long time, if I could promise him protection."<br>"That doesn't make sense." Puck says "You're a homicide detective. Money laundering and embezzlement isn't your specialty. Why would he come to you?"

"He said that someone was using the money for some pretty nasty shit. Bribes, payoffs." Dani's gaze shot to me. "Contract killings."  
>Nobody spoke for a moment.<br>"Tanaka said he'd been collecting information for months. He was supposed to give me the information at the opera house but you and that other assassin arrive and he ran. You know what happened after that."

"I'm guessing all the information was stored in the flash drive?"  
>"I guess." Dani shrugged.<br>"Did you tell anyone about Tanaka?" I asked. "Did anyone in the police department know you were meeting with him?"  
>"I told my captain, of course. Ryerson brought in a few people that helped us set up the safe house or take care of the embezzling side of the case."<p>

So Sandy Ryerson was the one pulling the strings on the cops' side. Getting people he knew involved. Keeping Dani quiet. Maybe the Air elemental bribed him to keep her informed. Maybe she had something on him that would ruin his career. Either way, Ryerson seemed to be involved in this. I looked at Puck and he had put it together too. He nodded, letting me know that he would do some more digging on Captain Sandy Ryerson.

"Anyway, that's all I know. Your turn." She says  
>Puck spreads out all the IDs we'd taken off the dead guards and showed them to the detective. Dani didn't recognize any of the men, but she agreed the IDs were fake and probably wouldn't lead us anywhere. So I fished out the gold chain with the triangular tooth rune. The polished jet soaked up the soft kitchen light like a black sponge.<br>"This could be something," Dani murmured, studying the rune. "You mentioned this was a rune but I've never seen this particular rune before, and I keep up with the symbols on all the gangs in town."  
>"I think our Air elemental has something bigger than a gang, detective." Puck pointed out.<br>"We also have this." I slid over the business card. "You had two guys tailing you at lunch. One of them passed his card to some college girls. Puck's digging for info on him right now."

"Hunter Clarington? I know him."  
>"Friend of yours?" I asked, curious as to the detectives choice of friends.<br>The detective's mouth tightened. "No. I just know who he is. He's a small-time criminal who likes to pretend he's bigger and badder than he actually is. Always on the lookout for easy money."  
>"Well, he's targeting bigger things now."<br>"He's not smart enough for anything bigger than street crime. All he's interested in is sex. The younger the better."  
>"Where does he like to hang out?"<br>"Sky Splits." The nightclub in Northtown. "That's where he gets his kicks." I frowned.

That's the second time Sky Splits has been mentioned, "Ken Tanaka also liked going to Sky Splits."  
>"So they worked and played together." Puck murmurs, Dani frowns, "worked together? What are you talking about?"<br>"We did a little digging on Mr. Hunter Clarington, turns out he's an executive vice president at Nova Industries." I told her, her laugh catches me off guard. An amused laugh.

"That has to be some kind of mistake. Hunter knows shit about running a business. He's a scammer, not a white-collar worker."  
>"Clarington's financials show a regular paycheck deposited into his account every week from the company." Puck says<br>"Then there's definitely something going on at Nova." She says, flipping the card between her fingers, "What's our next move?"  
>"Well, we don't know where the flash drive is but we know where Hunter like to go." I tell them, "I think we should go out tomorrow night."<p>

Puck cleared his throat, "Uh... Santana? Sky Splits is Quinn's place. I think it's best if we get her OK first."  
>I snorted, "I don't need Quinn's permission to spy on a man at her club."<br>Dani looked back and forth between Puck and I, "Who's Quinn?"  
>"Quinn Fabray, the vampire who owns Sky Splits. She's also one of Puck's good-time girls."<br>"Good-time girls." Puck scoffs, "I'm hurt you'd think that way about us, Santana. Deeply. Quinn and I have a deeper relationship than that."  
>"Right. As deep as you can go, Puckerman?" I teased and he grinned back.<br>Dani shook her head, probably trying to rid her mind of images of Puck in different states of undress.  
>"So that's the plan?" The detective asks<br>"Yup." I tell her  
>"Hunt down Hunter. Squeeze him and see what comes out."<br>"Wanky." I say unconsciously

With nothing else today, we decided to get to rest. Finn stayed in the spare bedroom while I stayed to help Dani make a bed out of the couch.

"Knock yourself out." I tell her as I hand her the bedding  
>"Thanks."<p>

I hovered for a moment, making my way to the door and tracing small tight curls on the stone beside the door. The runes shimmered silver before sinking into the wall and fading away. I sent a burst of magic through the rock to test my magical trip wire and a sharp note of alarm sounded back to me, rising to an ear-splitting shriek. If someone attempted to open the door and enter or exit the apartment, that same sound would wake me.

I look over at Dani and she was busy setting up her make-shift bed. She wasn't an elemental so she couldn't hear the loud shrieking that I could.

"Anything else you need?" I ask, walking towards the hallway leading to my room  
>"No thanks."<br>"Okay then. Goodnight, detective."  
>"Sleep well." her low, tired voice rumbled. "If you can." She added, making me stop mid-step. This is it. This is the moment when all the tension and hate and frustration explodes.<p>

I glance over my shoulder at him, "Why wouldn't I sleep well?"  
>"I don't know about you but I'd probably have trouble sleeping if my conscience was as troubled as yours."<br>"My conscience hardly ever bothers me."  
>"It should."<br>"Why is that? Because of killing those men tonight? I did what I had to do to save you. You even thanked me for that."  
>"Not for tonight. For what you did to Weston."<p>

The hate burned in her eyes. I knew she was counting down the moments until she could point a gun at my face and for a moment I thought of telling her why exactly Brody Weston had to die. To shatter all the good things she thought about her beloved partner.

But I didn't. That was an ace in my sleeve and I needed Dani to be focused on the job. Not wallowing about the reasons behind Brody Weston's murder. "If you must know, detective. I sleep like a rock. My conscience never bothers me. Never has. Never will." I tell her before shutting the door to my bedroom.

In the morning, we're all well rested and gathered around large stacks of pancakes. Puck and Dani had eaten about a dozen pancakes each while I had about eight.  
>"So Santana? What do you do when you're not- you know, assassinating people?"<br>"Why so curious, detective?" I ask, taking a sip from my coffee.  
>"Just making conversation. I thought it would be nice to talk about something other than the fact that we're going to be committing a felony today."<br>"Only one? My dear detective, the day is young!" I teased and Puck laughed  
>"What about you? Do you kill people too?"<br>"Oh no, detective. Puck is much, much worse. He's a banker." My snide comment caught Puck by surprise and he chocked on his coffee, spilling some on the hardwood table. Dani let our a guffaw of laughter. It was the first time I've heard her laugh without any undercurrent of bitterness or anger.

The detective smiled, the action reaching her eyes causing them to crinkle at the the corners and her nose to scrunch up.  
>"What are you staring at?" Dani asks and I force my gaze to break away from her face.<br>"Nothing." I say, "Eat up. We're all going to need the energy today. Puck, any updates?"  
>Puck gave me a curious look before answering, "Nothing so far on the IDs or the tooth rune."<br>"Any news about me?" Dani asks.  
>Puck shakes his head, "I guess the elemental cleans up after herself pretty well but according to my sources at the police department, your captain is looking for you."<br>"Speaking of Ryerson, any info on him?"  
>"I have a few but his financials all seem clean. He's not getting stupidly high amounts of money from anywhere, not dropping Gs on any strip clubs or vices. I'll keep digging though."<p>

When we finished our breakfast, Dani was the first to stand up. She reached over and grabbed our plates, stacking them nicely. "Let me." she says, "I'm sleeping on your couch and eating your food. It's the least I can do."  
>"My, my, my. Beautiful and polite." I teased and I notice a slight blush creep up her cheeks at the word beautiful. She heads to the sink with the plates and I sat back and watched her.<br>"What about Hunter?" Puck asked, not sharing my fascination with Dani's ass. "We still going to stalk him at Sky Splits tonight?"  
>"Yeah." I turned my gaze to Puck. "So call Quinn and tell her we need to meet this afternoon."<br>"Last night you said you didn't need her permission to storm her club," Puck said. "Why the change?"  
>I took another swig of juice. "Because she might know something else about the bastard. You know how she likes to keep track of her guests' habits. And I want to know everything there is to know about the bastard before we confront him tonight."<p>

Several minutes later, the three of us were walking around the nearby parking garage like women in a shopping mall.  
>"Puck, for fuck's sake, just pick a damn car." I called our from behind him.<br>"This should do." He says as he stops just in front of an late-model Audi. "Tools please, Santana."  
>"Didn't you bring your own?"<br>"Why bring my own when you make perfectly good, disposable, ones?"  
>"Good point." I tell him as I reach for my ice magic.<p>

Dani looked at the silvery-blue glow in my hands and eyes, "You're an elemental?"  
>"I have a little magic in me, detective. That's all." I tell her, handing the rod to Puck who was looking at me like I had told the biggest lie of my life.<p>

He took the cold, ice wand and jammed it into the car window. The lock popped open, the rod shattered, and Puck wiped the remaining chunks off his impeccable jacket. Then he opened the door, sank down into the driver's seat, reached under the dash, and tugged on a couple of wires. A few seconds later, the car roared to life and we were on our way.

"Where are we headed? The nightclub?" I ask Puck.  
>"Santana, it's the middle of the day; Sky Splits doesn't even open until eight. Quinn is at home."<p>

Despite the money she makes at her club, Quinn didn't move to Northtown. Instead she built her home in one of the nicer suburbs just west of Southtown. As soon as I see the scarlet, gold, and cinnamon color of the fall leaves along the road, I rolled down my window and let the cool fresh air rush into the car.

Thirty minutes later, Puck turned into a driveway lined with crimson maples. He drove up a steep hill before the trees receded, revealing a modest, two-story home made of gray brick. Black shutters and white flowerbeds framed the square windows, while a variety of colorful toys littered the space on the green lawn.

Puck parked the stolen Audi, and the three of us got out of the car.  
>"Just let me do the talking, and everything will be fine." Puck smoothed down his suit jacket.<br>"That was my plan," I replied. "You're the mouthpiece. Use some of that charm you claim to have to pump Quinn for information." Beside me, Dani snorted, but her mouth curved into a small smile. "Wanky." She mutters under her breath  
>"Oh Santana, try to at least hide your jealousy." Puck dug a canister of breath spray out of his pants pocket and squirted some into his mouth.<br>"Hardly. Been there, done you," I replied. "You were okay. Nothing remarkable though." The detective's smile faded at the revelation. she frowned, and something shimmered in her hazel eyes.  
>Puck clutched a hand over his heart. "How you wound me."<p>

"I'm going to wound you a lot more if you can't talk Quinn into smoothing things over for us tonight, Puckerman." I snapped.  
>"I'm sure Quinn will cooperate. Don't you remember taking care of her husband?"<p>

A man's face flashed in front of my eyes. Narrow fox-like face, dreadlocks, nose piercing and black eyes even colder than mind. No, I haven't forgotten Joe Hart. My jaw twitched at the memory, the vampire had broken my jaw before I could bring him down.

Dani's face twisted in disgust, "You killed this woman's husband and you think she'll be happy about that?"  
>I was about to respond when Puck stepped between up.<br>"Yeah." he snapped, "The bastard made a hobby out of beating Quinn's daughter, Beth, and Beth's foster mother who were staying with her then. Last time, they were in the hospital for weeks for 'falling down the stairs'." Puck says in disgust, "The kid barely reached four, in case you were wondering."

The detective's eyes drifted to the different toys outside and the disgust drained out of her face, "Why didn't she call the police?"

"She did but Joe had a couple of fishing buddies in the police department and plenty of money to make everyone else look the other way. The bastards won't even file a domestic dispute report. Joe never beat Quinn because he couldn't have her out in the club with bruises and a broken face." Puck said, "So Quinn didn't have a choice. She had to find a solution before her daughter or the foster mother got dead."

Dani's gaze went to me again. Curiosity flared in her hazel eyes, along with a flash of doubt. The detective had to be thinking about her partner. Wondering if the other cop had done something like that. Wondering if that's why I'd killed him.

We reached the front door. A small plaque with a rune etched into it was embedded in the stone to the right of the door. A heart with devil horns and a devil's tail to match. Quinn's symbol for her nightclub. Puck rang the doorbell and after about twenty seconds, a shadow moved in front of the peephole. Somebody inside was studying us. Several locks clicked, and the door opened.

Quinn Fabray was a beautiful woman, with hazel eyes and fair skin. Her cropped, feathered pink hair just brushed the edge of her strong jaw. Cat-Eye shades perched on the end of her pointed nose,and her face was free of the heavy makeup I'd always seen her wear. She looked younger without it, softer, and more vulnerable than I knew her to be.

She had on black yoga pants that covered her toned milky legs, while a matching shirt stretched over her chest. The relatively normal outfit couldn't hide Quinn's perky breasts, lush hips, and toned thighs that had most men and women wiping the drool off their chins after a few seconds. She knew how to use her body to its full potential, she was one of those vampires that used her body and feminine charm to power herself up with sex and blood.

Quinn's lips drew back into a wide smile, revealing her fangs. They were as pale as bleach. "Noah Puckerman." Her voice was a low, husky whisper.  
>"Quinn." He greets, pressing a kiss on her smooth cheek, "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."<br>"It's always a pleasure having you around, Noah." Quinn says silently. Her dark eyes drifted to the detective before resting on me. "And you've brought friends with you."  
>"This is Danielle Lovato." He introduces, waving his hand to the detective, "and of course you know Santana."<br>"Of course. Danielle. Santana." she nods at us but her knowing eyes stayed with mine.

I wasn't with Puck when she approached him but she saw me with him plenty of times. Knew how close I was with Finn. She didn't know that Finn and Puck dealt with those kinds of things but three weeks after she approached him, her husband was the unfortunate victim of an alley robbery gone wrong.

"Come in." She says, stepping to the side and opening the door wider, "Beth and I were just finishing up lunch."  
>She waved us in before closing and locking the door behind us. I didn't look but I heard three deadbolts lock in place. Quinn didn't take her safety for granted.<p>

Smart girl.

We followed the vampire into the backyard garden. The stones around me alternated between cautious worry and carefree glee, given the occupants. We stepped onto a stone patio and I could see a little girl who bore a striking resemblance to Quinn. She was sat in a princess-themed, pink castle planted in the backyard and pushed a blue dump truck through the grass. Every once in a while, she'd quit making vroom-vroom sounds long enough to nibble on the tomato sandwich clutched in her tiny fist.

Quinn gestured at a table surrounded by wicker chairs.

A half-empty plate of spaghetti bolognese was on the table. Along with a glass of blood, a mug of chocolate milk and a pitcher of lemonade with several ice-filled glasses.  
>"Lemonade?" Quinn offered.<br>We all accepted and she poured us a glass each. I sipped a little from the glass, tart and sweet at the same time. Could use a little more lemon but all-in-all it was delicious.

I notice Quinn watching me from the corner of my eye, "Do what do I owe the pleasure, Noah?" she asked, turning her head towards Puck at the last word. "I thought we weren't supposed to meet until later this week at the benefit for the battered-women's shelter."  
>"Unfortunately, I'm probably not going to be able to make it to that," he said. "So I thought I'd see you today."<p>

Quinn tilted her head down and looked over the tops of her glasses at him. "I don't think so. You want something. Just tell me what it is. You know how much I hate it when someone bullshits me."  
>He nodded. "All right. I'm interested in learning more about someone who frequents your nightclub and wanted to clear it with you first in case anything … unpleasant happens tonight when we have a little chat with him."<br>Quinn's eyes cut to me before snapping back to Puck. "Who?"  
>"Hunter Clarington."<br>"I know him."  
>There was a long pause and the only one making any sound was Beth who was vroom-vrooming away with her blue truck.<p>

Dani leaned forward, "what can you tell us about him?"  
>Quinn took a small sip of her blood, "my clients love their privacy and I wouldn't be doing my business any favors if I squealed to everybody that came looking. Especially to a cop like you. I've seen you around Sky Splits, detective."<br>she was about to answer but I cut in, "She's with us. She's not going to bust you for anything. Puck takes good care of his friends. You know that."

Quinn took another sip, then pushed her glass aside. "Fine. I'll play along but only because it's Noah."  
>Puck smiled.<br>"What do you want to know?"  
>Quinn tells us everything she knew about Hunter Clarington while Puck and Dani would periodically ask her a question or two. He wasn't much. Arrogant. Likes to talk big despite of his small dick. Likes the younger looking girls. Putting together his own crew to take down Blaine Anderson. Used to party with Ken Tanaka.<p>

Nothing we didn't already know. We already figured out that Blaine had nothing to do with this and that Hunter was probably part of another group.

"So what do you really need? You said you wanted to talk with him." Quinn asks.  
>"You said that he liked getting private rooms with the girls." Puck says, "is there any way we can see or hear what goes on while he's inside?"<br>"Maybe. Maybe not. Like I told you earlier, my clients like their privacy. They trust me with their secrets- all their secrets. I wouldn't last very long if word got out that I breached their trust.  
>Puck flashed his most charming smile, "surely you can make an exception just this once. For me."<br>Quinn laughed

"You're a charmer, Noah and I enjoy your company. You make me laugh which is pretty hard to do. But I'm not going to risk my business, my livelihood, just so you can settle some score against Hunter."

Finn's ruined face flashed behind my eyes. A score? No this was more than that. I decided to remind her how good a friend Puck has been to her. I'm sure that will sway her.

"Beth's gotten so big since the last time I saw her," I said in a soft voice. "When you brought her home from the hospital after her surgery."

Quinn's hazel eyes drifter to the little girl playing in the castle, then snapped up to meet mine. Her gaze hardened, and her fangs poked out through her lips. A low hiss erupting from her throat, warning me to back the fuck off. Dani gave me a hard look, wondering what the hell I was doing. Puck just sighed; knowing this was the only way to get anything done.

"Looks like she's really enjoying that princess castle Puck gave her as a welcome home gift," I continued. "Tell me, how's the foster mother? I think her name was Shelby? I haven't seen her in a while."  
>Vroom-vroom . Vroom-vroom. Beth pushed her dump truck back and forth on the grass.<br>"She's fine," Quinn said in a low-tight voice. "I keep Beth during the day while Shelby teaches at the school. She's the coach for some glee club too."

I gave her a soft, easy smile, like we were just two friends shooting the breeze. "It's nice see them doing so well—now."  
>Quinn's mouth flattened into a thin line as she considered the meaning behind my casual words. Her fingers tapped on the table.<br>"Yeah, they're much better—now."  
>The vampire stared at me. "There's a passageway that runs through the back of the club. Has eyes and ears in all the private rooms. We use it to look out for the girls and make sure they're okay. You could watch Hunter from there."<p>

"That's all we need." Puck says, reaching out and rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.  
>"Hunter Clarington leaves the club in one piece—understand? I can't have people disappearing from the private rooms."<p>

I nodded my acceptance to her terms and I could feel her relax the slightest bit.  
>"You're an angel, Quinn." Puck leaned over and kissed her cheek. "A real angel." Her face softened, and a genuine smile curved her lips. "You say that to all the girls."<br>"Maybe. Maybe not. But with you, I really mean it."  
>Quinn patted Puck's cheek. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to the inside of her palm. I cleared my throat before they could move on to other things.<p>

Puck sighed. "Sorry, babe. We gotta get moving. We'll be at the club tonight. Perhaps we can meet later in the week when I'm not dealing with so much?"  
>"Of course. Call me when you get free."<br>And so business was concluded. I got to my feet and the detective rose as well. Puck sighed again, then did the same.  
>"Come on, Noah. I'm sure Quinn wants to go see how Beth's doing." I smiled at the vampire again. "Give our best to Shelby."<br>Her eyes met mine. "I will,"

Quinn showed us out, then went back inside to put Beth down for a nap. As soon as the vampire locked the door behind us, Dani turned to me.  
>"What the hell was that about? Threatening her daughter like that?" Her eyes blazed with anger. "The little girl was sitting right there and-"<p>

"And had no idea what the fuck we were talking about, detective." I replied. "It wasn't a threat. I was merely reminding Quinn how Puck had taken care of something for her and that she owed him. It was business, nothing else, and she knew it. That's why she agreed to let us spy on Hunter. Now she knows we're even again."

Dani kept her hard gaze on my face. "And if she still didn't agree after your little reminder? What would you have done then? Pulled out one of your knives on the little girl? You're a disgusting criminal."

Puck's head snapped to me and to my hands curled to tight fists.  
>"Oooh boy," Puck muttered before stepped back, away from the detective and I.<p>

I tilted my head and approached the detective until I stood in front of her, towering over the detective.  
>Dani didn't move away. More balls than common sense.<br>"I might be an assassin, detective, but I'm not a monster. I don't hurt or kill kids—ever." I say in a tight voice, trying to contain the rage building in my gut, "But if you ever dare insult me like that again, I'll be more than happy to slit your throat." I told her.

I pulled out one of my knives, flashed it at her, pressed the handle of the knife against her throat, and tucked it back up my sleeve in one smooth, quick motion. Showing just how quickly I could take her life

Her face hardened with fury. "Just like you did Brody Weston?"

"Just like I did Brody Weston."

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><p><em><strong>Let me know what you think! What do you guys think is gonna happen?<strong>_

_**If you have any ideas, feel free to leave a**_** review!**

**See you next chapter!**


	11. Devil's Heart

_**A/N: I'm just going along with this story and hope that you guys stick around to find out what happens. Please do let me know if I'm boring you all to death. This is a slight filler chapter. **_

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><p>The detective and I stood nose to nose for I don't know how long. Part of me wanted to slit her throat and feel her warm, sticky blood coating my hands but another part wanted to kiss the hate out of her.<p>

Her brown-green eyes glowed and her look hardened, readying herself to fight. "If you two are done with your little quarrel, we have a lot of things to do for tonight." Puck says, pulling my shoulder away from the detective. Dani glared at me for a moment before stomping her way to the car; swinging the car door open so hard I thought it was going to fly off before slamming it shut. Puck and I followed her.

"Good call on the castle, Santana." Puck says, "she loves it. Sometimes she'd even ask Quinn if she could take her afternoon naps in there."  
>"You picked that out?" Dani asked, emphasizing the first word<br>I turned to look at her as Puck drove us home, "I happen to have been a little girl once upon a time, detective. I know that most girls want to be a princess."  
>A thoughtful frown erased the anger in her face, "what happens when they grow up?"<br>A bitter laugh escaped from my lips as I thought about my mother, Maribel, and my sisters, Serena and Bria and how much I wanted to be with them. "Then they just want to go back to being innocent little girls again."

As soon as we got back to the apartment, Puck headed for his laptop to check if there was new information about Captain Sandy Ryerson. Dani sat on the couch and turned the TV on. She didn't talk or look at me and I knew Puck was too engrossed in his emails to carry a proper conversation so I took a nap.

At around seven, I got up, took a shower and made sure everything I needed was on me. Knives, money, a phone. I wore tight black jeans, black long-sleeved shirt, black boots and a leather jacket. I tucked my knives in their usual spot before heading into the den.

Puck was on his computer but he managed to changed to his outfit for tonight. Black dress pants with creases as sharp as knives, a navy blue polo barely hiding the bulge of his chest and arm muscles, and a sleek white tie.

"Colorful outfit." He teased  
>"I imagine things getting messy later tonight and I'd rather not stain my other colorful clothes. Where's the detective?" Puck jerked his head towards the bathroom, "by the sound of it, she just finished showering. Probably getting dressed."<p>

Hmm.

Danielle Lovato. Naked. Water dripping down her curvy body and over that milky skin.

I wasn't opposed to that image invading my mind. Despite our earlier confrontation, I still found the detective extremely sexy. If only she could lose the righteous attitude and the stick up her ass. Oh well, nobody's perfect.

I strolled into the kitchen and took a small tub of Yoplait Strawberry yogurt from my fridge. I was halfway done with the yogurt when the detective stepped out of the bathroom. She was wearing a pinstriped blazer over a white printed shirt, black jeans, and cream-colored booties.

Dani stared at me, her brown-green eyes locking onto my face. I locked eyes with her pushed my tongue out into the container and fished out the last of the yogurt from the narrow base of the container. I could almost see her expression go from confusion to desire to guilt.

Maybe I'd do something about that.

Puck boosted another car for tonight, a Ford Taurus. We went with the car with big trunk space for Hunter. We wouldn't want him to be uncomfortable, would we?

Sky Splits, of course, was located in Northtown. The building itself wasn't anything special—a large warehouse with an blank, office-like exterior. Drive by it during the day, and you'd think it was another anonymous call center staffed by corporate drones.

But at night, just like tonight, it was a different story. A large rune hung over the entrance—a heart with devil horns and a devil's tail. The neon sign flashed red, then white, then orange, highlighting the long line of people waiting behind a red velvet rope. Guys in suits, girls with barely any clothes on, and everyone else in between all eager to get inside, get drunk or high, and indulge in their most perverted fantasies.

The nightclub catered to a wealthy crowd, and luxury sedans and SUVs packed the parking lot in front of the building and the two on either side. Puck parks the car just under a large willow tree, the nearest cars to us were about 3 to 4 slots away. Perfect.

"So what's the plan?" Dani asks as we make our way to the front door.  
>"We wait for Hunter to show, see what he's up to and if anyone joins him. When he leaves, we grab him and take him back to his place for a little chat," I said. "A lot of things can happen from there depending on how cooperative he is."<br>"Are you going to kill him?" the detective asked in a flat voice.  
>I stop and stare at her "Are you seriously asking me that question? Of-fucking-course, I'm going to kill him. Hunter works for the Air elemental. Even I am playing by your damn rules, that means he's fair game."<br>The detective shook her head. "I can't let you do that, Santana, no matter how big of a slimeball he is. I'm a cop. That means something to me, even if it doesn't to you."

I shook my head at the detective. Her morals were going to get in the way the whole night unless I convinced her to ignore them—just this once. An idea came to me, one that turned my stomach, but it was something I had to do to get Dani to go along with us.

"Puck, do you still have that photo that was sent to you? The one of your brother?" I ask, turning towards the mohawked man.

He slowly nodded, confused as to what I was doing.

"Would you be a cupcake and show it Danielle, please?"  
>Puck swiped the screen on his phone and tapped a few buttons, he didn't look at the screen as he held the phone out to Dani, swiping his finger one last time to get to the appropriate picture.<p>

She took the phone. Shock, disgust, horror, and anger flashed in her eyes. I let her take it all in until I saw the emotion I needed- sympathy.

"Take a good look, Detective. That's what those bastard did to my handler." I said in a soft voice. "And that Air elemental didn't stop when he was dead. She kept mutilating him. That's how I found him, lying in a pool of his own blood, his face and body almost unrecognizable. The smell was … indescribable. She would have done the same thing to you, if I hadn't intervened." the detective didn't respond. She just kept staring at the photo of Fletcher's body.

"Look..." I started, bending down to make her eyes connect with mine, "I agreed to your rules that I wouldn't kill anyone innocent and I won't. I'm no monster. Even when I do kill, it's fast and relatively painless. What they did to that man... That haunting imagine on that phone is an abomination. Hunter Clarington was there when they tortured Finn. He helped her do that to a person that I considered family. So yeah, I'm going to kill him and if you have a problem with that then you can walk away; right. Fucking. Now."

Dani ran her fingers through her hair, "Alright. You made your point, you can have Hunter Clarington and the others but the mole in the police department, he's mine." she says, handing the phone back to Puck.  
>"Understood."<p>

The three of us made our way to the red velvet rope that hung just in front of a tall, muscular, blonde giant, "Just let me do all the talking and everything will go smooth."  
>We strolled past the long line of people and ignored the dirty looks from the people who've been waiting for hours. Knowing Puck does have it's advantages after all.<p>

"Sam, my man, how's it going tonight?" Puck greets, holding out his hand for the 6-foot 8-inch tall giant whose lips were too big for his face. The giant tilted his head to the side, the devil heart rune peeking out from under his shirt.  
>"Nothing exciting's happened so far. Quinn did say you were going to come by tonight so I guess things are looking up." Sam says, flashing a knowing smile and did this little secret handshake with Puck- plucking the money from Puck's hand and slipping it into his pocket with one smooth motion. "Enjoy your night, ladies." the bouncer greets us. Dani and I nodded at him.<p>

Puck slipped him another hundred, winking "Oh we plan to."  
>Just like that, Sam unhooked the velvet rope and stepped aside. We were in.<p>

Unlike the outside of the building, the inside was alive and had a distinct personality. Sin. Crushed red velvet drapes covered the walls, the floor was an exquisite stained concrete in black, red and white, and the bar itself was an elaborate sheet of Ice. Intricate runes had been cut into the surface of the bar, mostly suns and stars—symbolizing life and joy. Behind it, an Asian man in a blue silk shirt mixed drinks. His eyes glowed blue-white in the semidarkness. The Ice elemental was responsible for tending bar and making sure his creation stayed in one piece until the end of the evening.

Men and women in revealing clothes roamed through the room, offering guests free champagne, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and fresh oysters. You had to pay for everything else on the menu, whether it was other food, drinks, sex, blood, or drugs. Most of the waitstaff here were vampires, all were hookers. Every single one wore a necklace with the devil heart rune dangling from it and a bright smile that hinted of the pleasures yet to come. All you had to do was ask- and be able to pay the price.

Some people were on the dance floor, bumping and grinding to the beat of the music while most huddled together in the booths kissing, fondling, moaning. In another part of the club, white spots flashed, red glows would fade in and out, and smoke curled up to the ceiling from a variety of illegal substances being used. Once or twice, I've seen the table jerk up as people fucked on the floor just under it. Every once in a while, a couple would head up the stairs at the back of the nightclub. The rooms upstairs were rented out by the half hour for those who wanted to be more comfortable doing the dirty.

At the back of the club, another bouncer stood in front of the velvet rope separating the private rooms. The three of us moved deeper into the club and I spot Quinn working the crowd.

The vampire was wearing a white suit jacket that hugged her curves beautifully, black pants and what seems to be nothing underneath; judging from the amount of cleavage peeking out of the deep V in front of the tux.

She roamed from table, to dance floor, to bar and back again. Shaking hands and chatting up her customers. More than one man and woman stopped Quinn to whisper something into her ear. I watched the vampire smile and shake her head, politely declining the invitation.

She wasn't on the menu since her hooking days were over. Oh, the joys of management.

Quinn pulls out her phone from the breast pocket of her suit and tapped in a message before slipping it back into it's place

"Quinn says that Hunter isn't here yet." Puck says over the loud music, showing the message on the phone.  
>"Keep her company while we wait, when she leads Hunter to his private room, call me."<br>He nods and is already on his way to Quinn  
>"Now what?" Dani asks from beside me,<br>"Let's grab a drink." I tell her, leading the detective back to the bar. Up close, the Ice sculpture was even more impressive. It was imbued with so much elemental magic that it cast off a faint blue glow as power trickled off the bartender, like water dripping from a faucet. He was holding on to just enough of his magic to keep the bar from melting and in one piece. His control was impressive and my own weaker Ice magic stirred in response.

The bartender placed napkins down in front of us. "What can I get you?"  
>"I'll have a Manhattan." I said<br>"Annoying Juice for me," Dani tells the bartender who quickly disappears behind the bar to work on our drinks.  
>"Oh, ew, that's the green disgusting thing, right?"<br>"It's not disgusting. It's delicious." She shrugs  
>The detective swiveled her seat around so she could look out into the nightclub. I propped my chin on my elbow and studied her. Blue hair, brown-green eyes, lean body.<p>

Danielle Lovato might hate me, hate what I did, hated just how easy killing came to me but the I could tell she was attracted to me too. Wanted me like I wanted her. I'd seen it in her eyes that first night on the balcony at the opera house. And again earlier this evening when I'd been eating my yogurt.

I glanced at my watch. It wasn't even ten. We probably had a lot of time to kill before Hunter shows up and I had lots of ideas of how we could pass the time. The bartender set our drinks in front of us. I slid a fifty across the icy bar to him but a pale hand slammed down on it before it reached him.

"Fancy seeing you here." A woman says from beside me, her voice was soft and smug at the same time. I looked up and my eyes met with her cerulean blue orbs.  
>"I could say the same thing about you, Ms. Pierce." I smile at her, Dani turns at the sound of my voice, watching my interaction with the blonde.<br>"You make a hobby out of going to places like this? You know I can always treat you to a good show and you wouldn't even have to pay... with money." she asks with that panty-melting smile  
>"I'm just here here to find my friend."<br>"Oh really?" She grins and I take a sip of my whiskey "Really."

Brittany slips the fifty back into my pocket before pulling out a bill from her own pocket and handing it to the bartender, "keep the change, Mike. Oh and get me the usual." she says and by the look on the bartenders face, the bill Brittany handed to him must have been big. Probably a grand.

"Sure, Britt." The bartender says, heading to the back of the bar to retrieve whatever drink the blonde was talking about.  
>"Britt, huh? You come here so often that you're on a first name basis with the bartender?" I tease. I could feel the tension radiating off of Dani and I was going to use that to my advantage. I could tell the blonde wanted me, she didn't put out any effort to hide that.<p>

"Mike and I went to the same dance school." Brittany tells me, "so who's this friend of yours?" she asks, glancing at Dani for the first time.  
>"His name's None-of-your-business." I tell her. She tried to suppress her giggling, but ended up bursting into loud light laughter.<br>"I like your attitude."  
>"I wish I could say the same for you Ms. Pierce." I tell her but the smile in her face didn't fade as I expected it to.<br>"You can call me Brittany. I don't really like being called Ms. Pierce outside of the office."  
>"Well, Brittany, I'm a little busy at the moment." I place a hand on Dani's arm, it stiffens but she doesn't jerk away. "Maybe you can find some other play thing for tonight, I'm sure Quinn has a variety of men on the menu." I tell her just as Mike sets the paper bag in front of the blonde<p>

Brittany's eyes narrowed, looking at the hand that I had on the detectives arm, "I was here on business but I did get my fill for tonight and besides, men aren't really my type." she says and for some reason that bothered me.

Her sexual orientation was common knowledge but when she said that she's had her fill, I was tempted to ask with who so I can have a word with whoever it was but I realized how jealous and stupid I sounded. What was wrong with me? The blonde pulls out something from her pocket and hands it to me, "In case the detective blows it with you, here's my card. Feel free to call me anytime." she winks before grabbing the bag off the bar.

She leans in so our faces were inches away from each other, a glint ignited in her eyes, "You owe me your name, see you around." she whispers before pulling back and walking away.

Brittany Pierce walked with a confident bounce in her step with her head held high and this spark in her eyes, it was mesmerizing. Not to mention her ass.

Pierce was one of the city's wealthiest women. Mining, timber, metal manufacturing. She had her fingers in a lot of money-making pies. With her blonde hair, blue eyes, lean body and winning smile Brittany didn't have the deadly, in-your-face flash of Blaine Anderson. Still, I knew power when I saw it—elemental or otherwise and Brittany Pierce had plenty.

With a grumble, Dani tossed back her drink. I did the same. The cold liquor burned going down my throat, somehow transforming itself into sweet, comforting warmth when it hit my stomach.

I pushed my empty glass back across the bar and turned my attention to the detective.  
>Her jaw muscles flexed and relaxed and her eyes were filled with jealousy. Dani felt my gaze and saw the hunger shimmering there. An answering heat sparked in her golden gaze, even as she tried to smother it.<br>"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.  
>"You know why."<br>She turned and look at me with a confused look on her face, "I don't actually, so tell me."  
>"I could probably show you better than I could tell you."<p>

I leaned over and pressed my lips to hers.

Nothing sweet or romantic about it but I enjoyed the feel of her lips against mine. She tasted of the mint and vodka- like the drink she had just downed. I flicked my tongue against her lips. Dani stiffened but didn't pull away, but she kept her mouth closed. Refusing my tongue entry into her mouth.

"Come on, detective," I murmured against her tight lips. "Everybody else here is doing it. Why shouldn't we join in the fun?"  
>"Do you really want me to answer that?" she growled.<br>"No," I replied.

I slid over onto her lap. Even though I'd given her no warning and very little effort to turn her on, Dani's hands flew to my ass, squeezing them deliciously. I kissed her again, lightly pressing my lips to her then shifted my legs so I was straddling her. I rocked forward, then pulled back, rubbing against her body, pressing my breasts to hers, exploring this attraction that simmered between us.

Dani's hands clenched into fists on either side of me. I rocked again and grinded my core on her thigh, I wasn't sure which one of us moaned but it kept me going.

"Dani." I purred against her ear. "You want me, too. I know it. After this is over, we'll go our separate ways. We've almost been killed to many times this week, why shouldn't we work off some of that stress and have a little fun in the meantime?"  
>The detective stared at me. Desire warmed her eyes, making them shine.<p>

Still, she hesitated. I shifted my hips again, urging her on. The slight friction and feel of my core against her thigh pushed her over the edge. The detective let out a low growl, tangled her fingers in my hair, and pulled my lips down to hers.

There were no closed mouths this time. No light touches or hesitation. Our tongues thrashed against each other, driving deeper and deeper into each other's mouth. I splayed my hands on her chest, kneading her firm breasts, marveling at how stiff her nipples had become.

She pulled me closer. Her hands moved up to my breasts. I scraped my nails down her back.

After ten seconds, I was wet. After thirty, I ached for her. By the minute mark, I was ready to rip her jeans off but I wanted to be alone with Dani, wanted to forget about everything but her and how she made me feel.

"Upstairs," I whispered against his mouth. She knew about the rooms and knew what I was trying to say. More emotions flashed in her eyes. Desire. Guilt. Hesitation. Need.

Slowly, she nodded.

I grinned and leaned forward to kiss her again when I felt an odd, pulsing buzz on my leg. It took me a few second to realize that it was my cell phone vibrating.

Puck was calling, which meant that Hunter had arrived. Damn it. No matter how much I wanted Dani, no matter how much she wanted me, tracking Hunter came first. Finding out who his Air elemental boss was came first.

Avenging Finn came first.

I sighed. "Sorry, detective. Duty calls."

"I know," Dani said in a husky voice. "I can feel your phone vibrating against my thigh."

Our gazes locked. Desire still brightened the detective's eyes, along with something else—relief. I wondered at the emotion. Relief about what? That she wouldn't betray her dead partner by fucking me? That her morals would remain intact for another night?

I slid off the detective's lap, pulled the phone out of my jeans pocket, and flipped it open, "Hunter just walked in," Puck said as soon as I put the phone to my ear. "I gotta admit, I wasn't sure whether you were going to go with Pierce or the detective. Personally, I'd have chosen the blonde." I ignored Puck's comments and my gaze cut to the front of the club. It took me a few seconds to pick out Hunter from the rest of the crowd. But once I did, it was easy enough to track him. The vampire sported a black suit with wide, white pinstripes and white wingtips.

He also had two other accessories—a girl on either arm. A blonde and a redhead. The women sported the devil heart rune necklace of the club's workers.

Hunter headed straight for the giant manning the entrance to the private VIP rooms. He said something to the giant. After a moment, the taller man stepped aside, and Hunter and the girls entered the hallway.  
>"Where are you?" I asked Puck.<br>"Back past the VIP entrance in a booth with Quinn."  
>I spotted the two of them, as close together as Dani and I had been a minute ago. "Stay there. We'll come to you."<br>I snapped the phone shut and turned to the detective. "Let's go."

Once we reached Quinn and Puck, I noticed that one of the vampire's hands was hidden under the table, giving me the impression that she wasn't just stroking Puck's ego. At the sight of the detective, Quinn stood and smoothed her suit.  
>"Follow me." She says as she heads for the back door of the club, Dani followed close behind.<br>I turned to Puck,"Stay out here and keep an eye on things." I tell him, "Call me in case more of Hunter's friends arrive."  
>"Not a problem. I'm feeling a bit thirsty anyway." Puck winked, got to his feet, and wandered off toward the bar.<p>

"This way." Quinn says as she leads us through a labyrinth of hallways and corners, the music from the bar getting fainter and fainter after every turn.

Quinn made several more turns. Each hallway was slightly narrower than the one before, until the final one we came to was just wide enough for one person to comfortably walk through. This passageway was constructed of dark paneling instead of velvet. A variety of narrow slits lined either side at eye level. Each one had a knob on the side so you could open and close it.

The pink-haired vampire stopped at the entrance to the hallway and fixed us with a flat stare. "Hunter's in the third room on the right. You've got thirty minutes before I send one of the bouncers to check on the girls. I want you both gone by then."

I gave her a curt not, she stared at me for a few seconds before turning around and walking back the way we came.

"C'mon," I said in a low voice. "Let's see what our friend is up to." Dani counted the doors, and we stopped in front of the appropriate opening. The detective looked at me. I nodded, and she grabbed the knob and slowly, quietly, slid the panel to one side. The peep-hole stretched out horizontally about two feet, but it was barely taller than an eye. There was enough room for both of us to stare inside.

Dani and I put our eyes close to the opening. The slit revealed a small room with a plush couch off to one side, along with a round table and a few chairs. The tops of several liquor bottles sat on a shelf just below us. A bar set against this wall hid the peephole.

My eyes landed on the figures on the couch, Hunter hadn't wasted any time. The blonde already had her head buried in the vampire's crotch. While the redhead sucked face with him. Smacking and sucking noises drifted out to us, along with a few moans from the ladies. The girls were pros. If I hadn't known better, I might have thought they were really enjoying themselves.

Dani shifted beside me, no doubt thinking about what had happened between us at the bar. A shame, really, that we'd been interrupted.

It took a whole two minutes for Hunter to start jerking his dick into the girl's mouth, "Swallow it all, my little cumslut." He growled, tangling his fingers in the girl's hair and pulling her head down, making her gag. Once he was done jerking, the blonde wiped off her mouth, crawled up, and started kissing Hunter's face.

"You're both really good sluts, you know exactly what daddy likes, don't you?" Hunter says as both women murmured nonsense about what a big, big man he was and how they only pretended with other guys, but with him, their pleasure was real. My lips twitched. Funniest damn thing I'd heard all night.

Hunter fondled the two girls for a moment longer, then spanked them both on the ass—hard—and zipped his pants up. "Get the fuck out of here," he said. "I've got company coming."

Company? That sounded promising.

Hunter slipped a couple of C-notes into the girls' panties, they thanked him before blowing him kisses and leaving the room. The vampire let out the sigh of a satisfied man, then got to his feet and hitched his pants back up into their proper position. I hoped the bastard had enjoyed that blow job. It was going to be the last one he ever got.

The vampire headed toward the wall where we were peering at him. For a moment, I thought perhaps the he had seen us spying on him but he reached for a bottle and poured some whiskey into a square glass. He was so close to us I could have stuck one of my knives through the peephole and given him a shave.

Hunter had just knocked back his first slug of whiskey, when the door on the far side of the room opened, and a man stepped inside. The vampire blocked my view, but I could still see the other guy was a giant, with thinning hair.  
>"About time you got here," Hunter said.<br>"Sorry," the giant replied. "Some of us have been busy cleaning up the boss' mess."  
>Dani immediately stiffened beside me. She knew who that voice belonged to- the police captain Sandy Ryerson.<br>"Would you like a drink, Sandy?" Hunter asked.  
>"Whiskey, and a whole fucking lot of it." The captain says and Hunter made a couple more drinks.<p>

Ryerson took a seat on the single couch as the vampire handed him one of the glasses and set the bottle on the table. He knocked back the amber liquid like it was water and poured himself another. Took a lot to get a giant drunk. Dwarves too.

Humans and vamps were the only ones who couldn't hold their liquor.

"I told you on the phone, meeting was a bad idea," Ryerson muttered as he downed his second drink. "Everybody's up my ass about the Tanaka murder."  
>Hunter took a seat opposite the giant "And I told you she wanted an update."<br>Ryerson's pale eyes flicked toward the door. "She's not coming here, is she? Bad enough I risk being seen with you. If she's here too-"  
>"Quit being such a pussy, Ryerson." Hunter said. "This place is totally anonymous. Nobody gives a fuck in here as long as you don't skip out on your bill. As for the boss, she had other fish to flay tonight. So your skin will stay right where it is- for now."<br>The captain drew a white handkerchief out of the breast pocket of his suit and mopped his forehead with it. "I wish I'd never gotten involved in this fucking mess."

"You wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't raped all those ten-year-old girls on your daughter's soccer team," Hunter's tone was light, conversational, like he was talking about whether it might rain tomorrow.  
>Dani let out a low, guttural growl. The sound a wolf might make before it ripped out your throat. Her hands clenched into fists, and I heard her teeth grind together through her clenched jaw.<p>

Sandy Ryerson the pedophile. Would have been easy for the Air elemental to get her hooks into him. All she'd need would be a picture, just one, and the police captain would have been hers.

"What about the assassin?" Hunter asked. "Anything on her?"  
>Ryerson snorted and poured himself a third drink. "Bitch is a fucking ghost. None of my sources know who she is or what she looks like. The reward that was put out caused hundreds of people to call in tips but none worth a damn. I think she's gone. Out of town and out of the picture."<p>

Hunter digested the information. "What about the brother? The banker?"  
>Ryerson shrugged. "Noah Puckerman told his boss he was taking a vacation because he was so heartbroken over his brother's murder. I imagine he's on an island surrounded by pussy somewhere by now."<br>"What about Lovato? Has she been found yet?"  
>The captain mopped more sweat from his forehead. "No, I can't find the fucker anywhere. She wasn't stupid enough to go back to the house. She hasn't reported in for work, and none of his buddies have seen him. I'm pretty sure she's still here, hiding in some rundown building in Willowfield. Lovato doesn't have the resources to disappear like Puckerman does."<p>

Hunter leaned forward and speared the giant with a hard, flat stare. "You need to find the detective. That bitch is a loose end that needs to be clipped off. The elemental wants you to find him. I showed you the picture of the man at the barbecue restaurant. You know what happens when she doesn't get her way."

Ryerson tossed back another drink. Some of the liquid courage must have finally kicked in because he glared back at the vampire. "I called her just like you wanted. If your boys had done their job and held on to him until she got there, we wouldn't be in this fucking mess. And ever if she did kill me, she'll kill you too, you know. As soon as she thinks she doesn't need you anymore. That bitch is insane. Does she really think nobody will notice what she's doing? All the men she's hired? The fact she's building her own crew to take on Blaine Anderson's organization? All the missing money from Blaine's companies?"

"Nobody noticed the embezzling or anything else, until Ken Tanaka started digging around," Hunter replied.

So that's what this was all about. The Air elemental had been stealing money from Nova Industries to try to take control of the city away from Blaine. To build a crew and fund a war against the Fire elemental. Ken Tanaka had known about her embezzling and was going to blow the whistle on her to the cops. That's why he had to die.

The Air elemental couldn't afford to let Blaine get wind of her plans, not before she was ready to make her move. But since killing Tanaka herself would have drawn Blaine's unwanted attention to Halo Industries, the Air elemental had hired me to take the fall—to come in and be the conveniently dead killer.

But Ryerson was right. Bitch really was crazy if she thought she could take control of the city away from Blaine. Because before the Air elemental could even get to him, she'd have to take out his pawns first. The lawyer, Sebastian Smythe, might not present much of a problem, although he had his own guards. But Blaine's giant enforcer, David Karofsky, he'd be a hard weed to mow down. And then there was Blaine himself.

The Air elemental most certainly had to be Kitty or Marley Wilde. Nobody else was high enough up in the company to manage something like this. Hunter was going to tell me later exactly which one of the sisters it was—no matter how bloody I had to get in the process.

Instead of arguing further with the giant, the vampire sat back in his seat. He ran his finger around the lip of his glass, then gave Ryerson a sly look. Considering something.

"Maybe you and I could come to an agreement," he said in a smooth tone. "Since you seem to be so tired of working for the elemental."  
>The captain eyed him. "I'm listening."<br>"We both agree it's only a matter of time before the elemental completely goes crazy," Hunter said. "Who's to say after that happens you and I can't pick up the pieces?"  
>"What exactly are you proposing?"<br>Hunter shrugged. "Nothing right now. Except you watch out for me, and I'll watch out for you until things settle down. After that, well, who knows."  
>"What about the elemental?" Fear crept back into the giant's voice. "If she even thinks we're plotting—"<br>"Don't worry about her." A smirk filled Hunter's blocky face. "I've got a little insurance policy in place to keep her in line."

Insurance policy? There was only one thing he could have that the elemental wanted— the flash drive with all of her dirty deeds on it. The vampire was going to be more useful than I'd anticipated.

The captain didn't respond to the other man's offer. But I could see the desperate hope in his eyes. The police captain would do anything to get out from under the elemental's thumb, even work with a hood like Hunter.

"Just think about it," Carlyle said. "But not too long."  
>He finished his drink and jerked his head toward the door. "Now leave. I've got other things to do tonight before I see the elemental again."<br>Ryerson didn't need to be told twice. The giant mopped a final bit of sweat from his forehead, got to his feet, and walked out the door. Hunter waited a few moments before putting the bottle of booze back in the bar and grabbing his jacket from the couch He was leaving too. Beside me, Dani pulled away from the peephole. I did the same and pulled the knob, covering the slit.

"That fucking bastard," the detective muttered in a low voice. "That fucking bastard set me up."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Let me know what you guys think!<br>See you next chapter!**_


	12. Hello, Destiny

_**A/N: sorry for the extremely late update. I lost my mojo because of rude anons. Let me clear it up for you and for all my readers. I never lied about this fic containing Dantana. I've always tried to explain why Dantana needed to happen in this fic and if you can't take reading it, click away. Don't you dare tell me to "Stop fucking lying to my readers." Nobody's forcing you to read this so there's no need to be rude. If you have a problem with me or this fic, come off anon and message me. **_

_**I've always received corrections with a light heart but that anon just crossed the line and I felt like I needed to address that. I'm sorry to the people that stuck with me and this story. I'm not going to let some close-minded anon ruin this fic. Thanks for being patient with me.**_

_**There WILL be Dantana in this fic but also hints of Brittana. Consider yourself warned.**_

_**XXXXX**_

"What the fuck is taking her so long?"

"Calm down, detective. We already have all the information we need, Santana's just tying up a loose end."

"How did he even get the handcuffs off? They were made of Silverstone!"

"He was an elemental. Metal if I had to guess." I called out as I made my way back to the car. As soon as I get under the streetlight, Dani's face twisted in shock then disgust.

I was covered in blood. I could feel it drying on my face and hands. "worried about me, Detective?"

"Worried about the flash drive that you have in your pocket."She said plainly, holding her hand out

I fished the gadget from my back pocket and dropped it into her hand, "All clean." I smiled.

Ryerson and Hunter left the club a few minutes apart so it was easy for me to swoop in and knock him out, throw him in the trunk and drive him over to his place with the directions of the good ol' detective. Once we got him set up on a chair, it took a few punches to the head and cuts on his neck and legs but soon he was ready to sing whatever we wanted him to.

He pointed us towards a safe hidden in his fireplace where he kept the drive and several pictures of Ken Tanaka with different hookers. One picture popped out at me, it was a relatively normal photo compared to the others. A picture of Tanaka and Kitty Wilde, posing on either side of a large fish. Looked like Tuna or a Marlin, hell I don't know, Finn and Puck were the fish experts.

What caught my attention wasn't the size of the fish or Tanaka but the large triangular-shaped tooth rune around Kitty's neck.

Once we had all the files, Hunter made his move. Breaking the silverstone handcuffs and smashing through the window, running as fast as he could. He didn't get very far. I didn't mean to make his death so messy but as soon as I put a face to Finn's killer, the cold knot of rage exploded in my chest. I can barely recall where I stabbed him, all I could remember was the sound he made as blood filled his throat.

Luckily, Mercedes was in the area and was more than willing to come over and clean up the mess. Speed-Dial service. What a joy to behold.

"What are we going to do now, Santana? We know who she is now." Puck asks, pulling me back from my thoughts

"We're going to kill them both. Kitty and Marley Wilde."

"No. Kitty was the only one in that picture, Marley could be innocent."

"Her sister is running around town torturing people with elemental magic, how innocent do you think she is?" I snapped

Dani's eyes burned with determination, "Marley could be up to her neck in this shit too, just like you, me and Puck. Until we find proof that Marley is guilty, you can't touch her. That was our agreement."

We stared at each other. The detective is becoming more and more of an obstacle than an asset and I'm really starting to get ticked off by her goody-two-shoes attitude.

"It's not just the sisters, we still have Sandy Ryerson to worry about."

"Ryerson is mine."

"What are you going to do with him? Turn him over to internal affairs?"

Dani's jaw tightened, "No, he'll just bribe his way out but I'll think of a way to take care of him."

We stood there around the car, "I have a plan." Puck says, taking the flash drive from Dani's hand. "Kitty Wilde might not be afraid to find us but there's one person she wouldn't want this information to be seen by."

"Blaine Anderson." I said, hopping on his train thought,

"Blaine Anderson."

"I don't see how that helps us." Dani says

"We threaten to hand the information to Blaine unless she backs off and stops trying to kill us." I replied "we can also get her to withdraw that reward for your head and to convince Ryerson to take an early retirement. It's clean all the way."

Puck grinned, happy with his plan and for once I couldn't disagree with him. It was a good plan that saves us all a lot of effort.

"Kitty Wilde will still die for what she did to Finn. No hunting me down after that." I said, "can you live with that detective? The bounty on me goes away, Ryerson leaves the force and we all get on with our lives."

Dani's expression darkened for a second, "I can live with that."

"Great!" Puck says, pulling the car door open. "Now all we have to do is find out where the sister's are going to be." He reaches in and throws something towards me, I catch it easily.

My phone.

I hit speed dial. It rang three times before getting picked up.

"Who the hell is this? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

I glance at the clock on my phone, "It's Santana. It's 2:43 AM. I need some information and maybe a couple of invitations. Can you help me?"

After a moment, I hear Rachel's soft laugh, "For you, San? I think I can make it happen."

_**XXXXX  
><strong>_

By five in the afternoon the next day, I found myself in the elegant country club of Valle Verde, a high end village for located in the heart of Northtown. Thanks to Rachel, we found out that Kitty and Marley's next event on their social calendar was a fundraiser for the battered women's shelter. Pulling some of her strings, she managed to score Dani and I some invites, Puck was already invited by Quinn so it made it less suspicious that he would be at the event.

Puck wore a grey pinstriped suit and a white button up shirt underneath, Dani wore a white cocktail dress with ruffles on the left hip and colorful geometric designs down the front while I was in a color block dress that was split in flesh, white and black. My hair had grown out it's natural color and I didn't really feel like dying it again so I had on a blonde wig.

As soon as we got to the ballroom, we split up- Puck stayed by Quinn's side, Dani was perched on the 2nd floor balcony while I made my way to the bar, eyeing the prominent men and women in the clubhouse. I couldn't help but wonder how many of them have hired me in the past.

"you know..." a velvet soft voice says from beside me, "We have to stop meeting like this."

I couldn't help the smile that made it's way to my face as I turned to face her.

The first thing I notice are her eyes, crystal-clear cerulean blue orbs that are staring right back at me, "It's nice to see you too, Brittany." I greet with a genuine smile and I notice her eyes grow slightly darker as soon as I said her name.

"Santana." she says after a moment, dipping her head and flashing her mega-watt smile at me.

Wow.

I realize that I'm still staring at her eyes so I force myself to look away, she was wearing a sleeveless black dress that dropped several inches above her knees. It had a deep V in the front that exposed the milky skin and the most perfect cleavage I have ever seen in my life.

"Your dress looks good." I tell her lamely, pulling my gaze away from her breasts and up to her face.

"Thanks, so does yours. I didn't know you were a fan of Unique's collection." She tells me, playing with the sleeves of my dress, "the fabric is excellent. Soft and smooth."

"Thanks, it was a gift from a friend."

"Another friend? Is this the same one you were waiting for at the Sky Splits last night?"

As much as I wanted to sit and chat with Brittany, I didn't have time to be distracted by her small talk; I couldn't afford missing my chance to take out Kitty.

Plus, I wouldn't want Dani to go full retard and go after Kitty or Ryerson herself.

"Yes. Actually. My husband. I should probably go, he's a very very jealous man and we wouldn't want to get you in trouble now would we?" I tell Brittany. Grabbing a glass of champagne from one of the waiters' tray and smiling at her.

Instead of answering me, Brittany's eyes trailed down my body, one slow inch at a time. Breasts, stomach, thighs, legs. She took it all in. A smile spread across her face.

"Ms. Lopez. The dress really does look lovely, but I think I like the shirt and jeans better. The brunette hair too. Seem more like the real you. I'll see you around." She smiles, clinked our glasses together, winks at me before walking away, leaving me dumbfounded.

Did her wink just make my ovaries explode? Yes. Yes it did.

Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.

I pull my phone out of my purse and press it to my ear.

"Kitty and Marley just got in." Dani says, I look up and see her on her perch, staring right back at me; her expression blank. Had she seen the whole thing?

"Good. I'll let puck know. Keep an eye on them."

"Santana." I hear her say before I disconnect the call, she was looking just to my right

"Yeah?"

"Blaine is with her, Karofsky and Smythe too."

I turn to look where she's looking and sure enough, Blaine was walking in front of the pack while Kitty, Marley, Karofsky and Smythe were all close behind.  
>"Fuck."<p>

"Fuck is right."

Blaine looks sharp in his blindingly white tuxedo and light blue polo underneath, he had on a black bow tie and his hair was gelled back. David Karofsky a simple black suit jacket, jeans and a blue shirt underneath while Sebastian Smythe wore a black tux, gray tie and a checkered button-up shirt.

Kitty and Marley were in matching cutout cocktail dresses, Kitty's was black and Marley's was white. Marley immediately sits on the VIP table while her sister and Blaine's group mill about, talking to clients.

"Here I go." I say

"Good luck."

"I don't need luck, detective." I disconnect the call before she could say anything else and shot a text to Puck,

_Watch my back._

I reached Marley without her posse noticing and dropped to the seat beside her. My sudden appearance startled the woman, making her jerk back in her seat, almost knocking over her drink. Her wide blue eyes met my narrowed brown ones.

The cold knot of rage twitched in my chest, and for a moment, my emotions threatened to overwhelm me. Anger, rage, disgust. Part of me wanted to just pull out one of my knives, stab Haley, and melt away in the bloody, screaming confusion. Let Kitty feel the loss of her sister as I did Finn's death, that's if the Air elemental bitch could feel anything besides glee at torturing people.

But I'd promised Dani that I'd give the other woman a chance to prove her innocence. And I never went back on my word. No matter how much I wanted to.

So I put my phone on the table and smiled at the other woman. "Hello, Marley."

She frowned. "Do I know you?"

I amped up the wattage on my smile, "No, but I'm sort of an employee of yours."

"An employee? I'm sorry, I don't-"

"You sister Kitty hired me to kill Ken Tanaka."

It took a couple of seconds for my words to sink in. Marley frowned again.

An innocent woman, one who knew nothing about anything, would have vehemently denied the allegation. Been shocked and outraged by the accusation. Instead, Marley's face shuttered, and her eyes narrowed to slits. Oh yeah, she was in this all right—up to her fucking neck.

"What is this about? Money?" She whispered fiercely and I laughed. The harsh, loud sound boomed over the buzz of conversation around me and several people turned to look

"Money." I sneered, "do you think you can buy me off so easily after what your sister did?"

"You were perfectly willing to take money for Tanaka's murder."

"That was _before _your sister double-crossed me. Before Kitty killed that man in that restaurant. Before she had my friend beaten close to death and before she tried to kill the detective working with Tanaka."

Since her offer of money didn't work, Marley decided to change strategies. She opened her eyes a little wider, like her tough facade had just cracked, "this wasn't my idea. Kitty is the one behind it all. I had nothing to do with it. You have to believe me. She forced me to do it."

"Nice act."

"It's true!" she says, her voice wavering slightly. Wow. She was good. "She threatened to kill me if I didn't go along with her plans."

"Really?" I ask, "is that why it's your login and password is connected with all the embezzled accounts? Because Kitty forced you to steal from your own company?"

She nodded and swiped at the corner of her eye.

"You're a terrible liar. I've seen better acting from the prostitutes in Southtown." I tell her. Marley studied me for a moment and when she realized that I wasn't falling for her damsel in distress act, she went back to her tough girl attitude.

"I know why you had Tanaka killed, he was going to expose the embezzling to the world and you just couldn't have that, could you? You couldn't have Blaine finding out about your little plan. I'm curious though..." I said, leaning back on my seat. "What's the point of all this? You don't really think you can remove Blaine from his throne by stealing a few million dollars, do you?"

Marley shrugged, her blue eyes meeting mine, "That's Kitty's fantasy, not mine. She likes playing the mob queen and she thinks that her Air magic is stronger than it really is."

"Why would you support her?"

"Because Blaine stole our father's company. The company he built from the ground. My father fought to get it back, of course, but Blaine didn't have the time to deal with something as low as politics so he killed him. Blaine told us himself that he did and that if Kitty and I wanted to keep breathing, that we should do whatever he wanted us to. I'm just taking back what's mine and if Kitty ends up killing him, well then, maybe my father can finally rest in peace."

The venom in her voice would make normal people shake like a leaf but not me and definitely not Blaine Anderson, I'm sure he'll find the threat mildly annoying, at most.

"But you're not here to learn my life story so what do you want?" she asks

"I want to walk away from all this bullshit." I said, "Take back the reward that your sister put out for my capture. Get Kitty's men to back off, including the police Captain. Noah Puckerman and Danielle Lovato, the other two people that your psycho of a sister want to kill, they walk too. We all keep breathing and you get to do whatever you were doing before I came along. I couldn't give a rat's ass about you stealing from Blaine because you weren't smart enough to hang on to your own company."

It wasn't like she was going to be able to steal for long, Marley and Kitty are going to get a knife to the gut, I just needed to make sure that I got Puck and Dani free of this mess before I do. Besides, they double-crossed me first, it was only fair.

Marley's lip tightened at the insult, "or else?"

"I hear your sister's looking for some sort of flash disk. Would be a shame if it got into the wrong hands."

For the first time, panic sparked in her blue eyes

"I read through the files, that's how I knew that it was your log-in information being used to steal the money." I whispered, pointing across the room to where Blaine was standing, talking to a guy with porcelain white skin. "I'm sure Blaine would be very interested in the information on it. Don't you?"

The smallest gasp escaped Marley's lips, "y-you can't. He'll kill us."

I scoff bitterly, "I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm the one with the flash drive. Why, I could just get his attention and-" I say as I raise my hands as if to wave to the elemental.

"No!" Marley grabbed my arm and yanked it down. Her shout echoing through the ballroom and over the buzz of conversation.

Several people turned to see what all the fuss was about, including Blaine. The Fire elemental spotted me pointing at him and Marley clutching my arm. He frowned, his thick eyebrows furrowing, but I just smiled and wiggled my fingers at him, as though we were old friends. After a moment, Blaine lifted his hand and waved back, even though he couldn't possibly know who the hell I was or why I was waving at him like a loon. Blaine crooked her finger at David Karofsky and whispered something in his ear. David snapped his fingers, and another one of Blaine's giant guards walked over to them. Time to wrap this up.

"Think about my offer." I smiled at her before I took a sip of my champagne.

"You don't understand," she hissed. "Kitty was the one who wanted Tanaka dead, not me. I wanted to pay him off but she wouldn't listen. Said she wanted to teach him a lesson for turning on her. It was all I could do to convince her to hire an assassin, instead of doing it herself and getting caught. It would have been fine, if she'd just listened to me. But Kitty always complicates things. She had to get fancy and set you up, even though I told her it wasn't necessary but she didn't want Blaine sniffing around us or the company. Not yet. Not before she's ready to make her move."

"And you're boring me with this because …"

"Because Kitty won't take what you're offering now," Marley replied in a shaky voice.

"She won't back down, not from you, not from anybody. Before our father died, Kitty never threw her Air magic around. Nobody even knew she had any, except for the family. But after he died, she changed. Started using her magic for everything, started practicing with it so she could go after Blaine. Her magic … it's made her reckless, crazy. I can't reason with her anymore."

I gave her a cold look. "Then I suggest you try harder, Marley. Or you're the one who's going to be feeling Blaine's wrath. I imagine he can torture you much longer than Kitty did the man at the restaurant. He's had a lot more practice at that sort of thing. He could probably keep you alive for days."

Marley blanched, and her face took on a greenish hue, like she was about to vomit.

I plucked a business card out of my purse and held it out to her. The number for my cell phone was scribbled across it. "You have an hour to get your sister on board, call me at this number, and agree to my demands. After that, well, who knows what will happen?"

She snatched the card from my hand with trembling fingers and clutched it to her heaving chest. I gave her the hard stare another moment, then grabbed my cell phone, got to my feet, and strolled away.

"Did you hear all that detective?" I say to the small microphone on the inside of my shirt.

"Yes. I heard her." Dani says as I put the phone to my ear

"Where is she?"

"She's making her way to Kitty right n-" Dani's drift off, like something had just caught her attention.

"What's going on? Dani?"

Silence.

For a moment, I thought that one of Kitty's men or Ryerson might have gotten to the detective. I take my steps half a second faster. As soon as I turn the corner, I look up at the balcony where Dani was a few minutes ago.

Empty.

"Dani, where are you?" I say again, trying to stop the panic from raising in my voice. What if they got her?

"I'm fine. You've got a tail. Two extra large ones." Dani tells me.

I turn and sure enough, two of Blaine's giants were making a beeline for me. "No shit. Where are you?"

"Same place as before. Leaning over the balcony."

"You weren't there, I looked."

"Look again."

I do as she says and there she was; one foot on the rail. Her legs look even better from down here. Too bad I didn't have time to enjoy the view because a large beefy hand had just slammed down on my shoulder.

"Blaine Anderson would like a word." the giant says from behind me. This was definitely something I didn't need right now.

"Is there a problem here?" a velvety soft voice says from somewhere to my left.

"Miss Fabray." the second giant says, his voice slightly higher than the first. "No ma'am. Blaine would just like a word with this woman regarding her little scene earlier."

"I see, this woman is one of my girls. Not exactly one of the smarter ones either. Whatever she did, I will make sure she is punished." The pink-haired beauty says, taking her place between me and the giants.

"One of yours? Where's her necklace?" Giant one asked

"Good question, Destiny, where is your necklace?" Quinn turns to me, her fingers pinching my chin and pulling it up to meet her gaze,

"I-, I lost it." I tell her, my voice shaky to make it seem like I was afraid of Quinn

"You lost it?"

"Yes. I think it might be in the bathroom, I had to take care of a client and he was very rough. It might have come off." An easy lie.

The giant's looked at me like a piece of meat, ready to be eaten. "What were you doing with Marley Wilde?" Giant Two asks me from behind Quinn.

"She's a regular. I came by to catch up." I tell them, my eyes fixed on their shoes like a submissive.

"How do you know Blaine Anderson? He's never gone to Sky Splits so why wave at him?"

"I wanted to make some extra cash and I knew he was rich. I thought I could-"

The two giant's laugh, "You're barking up the wrong tree. He's not into you."

I pout, "He's not into blondes?"

"You could say that." Giant One snickers, "Thanks for clearing it up, we'll let Blaine know of the misunderstanding."

"Keep her on a leash." Giant Two says blankly, pointing at me

"I will. Send Blaine my apologies and tell him to expect a gift from me for whatever this girl has done to upset him." Quinn says firmly.

Once they were out of earshot, Quinn released a breath she was holding. "you didn't have to do that." I tell her

"I did."

"Why?"

She shrugs, "because I know how much Puck cares about you and he won't survive it if you died too." Quinn tells me before making her way back to the bar where Puck was sat, watching the exchange.

I lowered my head, moved away from the middle of the ballroom and made my way to the balcony, I held the phone back up to my ear.

"Where are you?"

"Supply closet. Take a left at the end of the hallway. Second door on your right." I made the appropriate turn. This hallway was deserted, so I opened the door, stepped inside, and shut it behind me. Dani was waiting inside, leaning on a metal rack full of toilet paper. I leaned against the wood and let out a long breath.

"That was close."

"Too close," She agreed.

"Did you see where the sisters went?" I ask her, pulling out my phone and placing it on the rack so we could see if it rings.

"Once she got to Kitty, they headed outside."

Probably going to somewhere private to talk about my offer, "that's okay."

"What do we now?" Dani asked.

"Now we stay in here until Blaine and her guards lose interest in me and until Marely calls," I said. "Neither one should take too long."

I moved past the detective. Besides the metal rack she leaned against, there wasn't much in the closet. A mop and a bucket. Several boxes of plastic gloves. A ratty love seat that had been salvaged from one of the club's salons. I dialed Puck on my cell phone. He answered on the second ring.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Still at the bar," Puck replied. "Talking to Quinn."

"Tell her I said thank you."

"Santana Lopez, did you just ask me to thank Quinn for you?" Puck says in mock surprise but I don't hear a laugh from Quinn.

"You're welcome, Santana." Quinn's disembodied voice says.

"Watch the sisters. If they start to leave, call me. Don't follow them."

"Yes, Master." He says before disconnecting the call. I set my cell phone on the metal rack, right next to the toilet paper. Then I went over to the love seat and plopped down on it. The cushions squawked under my weight, and a loose spring poked me in the ass. I shifted, but I couldn't get away from the offensive metal.

Dani pushed away from the rack and paced back and forth, taking five quick steps from one side of the closet to the other. Her shoes squeaked on the floor, and I felt the beginnings of a headache stir behind my eyes.

"Are you going to do that for the next hour?" I said. "Because it's already gotten on my last nerve."

The detective didn't say anything; she just kept pacing. Her quick, controlled movements caught my gaze, and my eyes traced over her curvy form. Her clean, soapy scent filled the closet, overpowering the burning smell of disinfectant. I remembered the last time we'd been in such close proximity—last night at Sky Splits.

How easy and pliable the detective's will was under me. How much I'd wanted to finish what we started. And then there was the promise I'd made to myself. To take what I could today before the detective and I said goodbye tomorrow.

I checked the watch on my wrist. Fifty minutes. Plenty of time. Puck was downstairs keeping watch and we were safe enough up here.

Marley and Kitty Wilde should be scrambling, trying to figure out what to do, how to handle the situation. That had been the whole point of blindsiding them in public.

They weren't a threat to us right now. As for the giants, Blaine had probably called them back to his side already..

Dani and I had fifty long minutes all to ourselves. My eyes slid down the detective's body. I couldn't think of a more pleasurable way to pass the time.

I cleared my throat. Making Dani stop her pacing to look at me.

"You know if the Wilde sisters agree to our demands, this is over. Tomorrow, we'll all go back to our regularly scheduled lives," I said. "Puck. You. Me." She nodded. "I know."

She stared at me, emotions sliding over her face. Desire. Want. Need. Guilt. Her brown-green eyes devoured me, moving from my lips to my breasts and legs and back up again.

But she made no move to come toward me. No move to take what she so clearly wanted too.

Up to me, then.

I got to my feet and slowly approached her. My stilettos clacked on the floor.

Dani flinched at the sound, but she didn't look away from me. She couldn't, any more than I could stop coming at her.

I stopped about a foot in front of the detective. My gray gaze drifted over her body, as hers had done to mine a moment before. Soft caramel skin, firm breasts and ass, perfect lips, expressive eyes.

"You're a very attractive woman, Dani," I said. "I'm also an attractive woman. And here we are, all alone. Together." She didn't say anything. Didn't take the opening. So I continued. "Last night at the nightclub, when I was sitting on your lap, you didn't want me to stop. Did you? you wanted to tear my jeans off, wanted my face between your legs, driving my tongue deeper and faster until you're screaming my name. That's what you wanted, wasn't it, detective? That's what you still want, isn't it?"

A muscle in her cheek twitched. Still, the detective didn't move.

"Despite our differences, I'm attracted to you, Dani. Something about you fascinates me. I want you like I haven't wanted anybody in a long time. I think you feel the same way about me."

"I do want you." She answers, her voice was low, tight, strained. I stepped into her arms and put my hands on her shoulders. Then I raised my head and gazed into her eyes. "So, why don't we do something about it?"

Dani stared at me. "Not a good idea, Santana. We need to stay focused. We need to get the sisters to back off. Nothing else. They could be looking for us right now." Wild desperation colored her eyes. Dani was trying to save himself, but I wasn't going to let her.

"A poor excuse. Marley and Kitty are too busy arguing about what to do right if they weren't, they wouldn't find us. They probably think we left the club already to go somewhere and wait for their call. Until then, we've got nothing but time."

I leaned up and put my mouth beside her ear. Dani's shoulders jerked underneath my hands.

"I don't care that we'll be on opposite sides again tomorrow. After everything that's happened, I want what I can have today. I want you, detective. Right here, right now." I pressed my lips to her.

It was like I'd shocked her with a live wire. She just—exploded. Dani let out a growl and pushed me against the rack; crushing her lips against mine. This time, I didn't have to tease her mouth open. Her tongue was already thrusting against mine.

Things were turning from hot to fiery as she pulls me down to the ratty love seat and on top of her. I feel my dress getting bunched up around my waist, exposing thighs and ass.

Suddenly, there's a rattle behind me before the sound of the door opening made me and the detective freeze, her hand hands frozen in semi-squeeze on my ass.

"Please don't stop on my account." the woman says from behind me. Her voice was smug and arrogant but I could sense a layer of disappointment.

I recognized it immediately and for some unknown reason, knowing that she caught us hit my stomach with a pang of guilt. Why her? Why couldn't it be someone else? Is this some sort of cosmic joke?

I get off the detective slowly and smooth my dress down when I stand up, "I'm sure you'd enjoy that." I tell the woman behind me as I help Dani up from the old couch, I didn't even bothering to turn around to address the woman.

"I can't say I wouldn't but I won't say I will." I hear her heels tapping against the floor, "Sorry to have disturbed you both, next time, make sure to lock the door." she adds blankly before grabbing something from the side and walking out the door. I stare at Dani who was glaring at the door behind me. I wanted to ignore the intrusion. To forget that she walked in on me and Dani. For Dani to keep squeezing my ass with her soft hands. But I knew it was useless, the woman had derailed me and for some reason, I felt guilty; guilty for what she had seen. Don't ask me why because I don't fucking know but I felt like I had to talk to her. Like I had to explain why she found me about to fuck the detective.

I could still hear her hurried footsteps against the tiled floor and before I knew it, I was sprinting down the hallway after her,

"Brittany, wait!


	13. Crystal Chandeliers

**Hey guys.**

**I'm really sorry for the super delayed update. Honestly, I was thinking if I should even continue to finish this fic. I decided that if at least 1 person likes this fic then everything else is worth it. So thank you for sticking with me. :-)**

**There will be:  
>- Brittana in this fic<br>- Dantana interaction  
>- Excessive use of the F-bomb<strong>

**PS. I don't own anything.  
>PSS. Well, I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine.<strong>

* * *

><p>"Brittany!'<p>

I called out again once I got the the hallway, I could hear footsteps to my right and I turn just in time to see her head to the stairs; a mop in her hand. "Wait!" she halts mid-step and I run to her, my heels clicking against the marble floor.

She shook her head lightly before turning to me, her blue eyes were dark with an emotion I can't quite place, "what do you want?"

"What the _hell_ is your problem?" I bark as I walk up to her, our noses barely an inch apart.

She doesn't answer though, she just looks at me with this black fire sparking behind her eyes that made my stomach twist.

"Stop looking at me like that." my voice low and dangerous, dimming the fire in her eyes, "why are you here, Santana? Shouldn't you be fucking your friend in the closet?" she spat, ignoring what I had just said.

I couldn't help but flinch at the expletive, "I would be, if we weren't so rudely interrupted." I tell her, my voice firm and my right eyebrow raised.

"Please..." Brittany laughed once, a short bitter scoff. "you were getting it on in the utility closet like a couple of teenagers. If I didn't walk in on you, someone else would have."  
>"Whatever-" I started but Brittany cut me off, "you didn't need to explain anything to me, so why are you out here?" she whispers before stepping impossibly closer to me.<p>

Her sudden proximity rendered me speechless, the heat radiating off of her along with a unique vanilla perfume smell invading my senses. It made my head spin as my heart started to speed up. "I- you-" I was unable to stop my gaze from dropping to her mouth, my voice was unsteady and I has scrambling for some sort of reason. Why was I out here? Why did I have such a strong urge to kiss her? She was nobody and yet here I am, away from Dani and any ideas of having sex with her.

"You're stuttering? Do I make you nervous, Santana?" Brittany whispers again, her breath hitting my nostrils and enveloping me in the rum-tainted aroma that makes my mouth water.

My mind was racing, unable to understand my sudden reaction to anything Brittany, "Santana."  
>"I- don't-"<br>Tell me." her voice was so gentle that I couldn't help but look up into her ocean-blue eyes.

As soon as our eyes met, I felt like the breath was knocked right out of me.

Jealousy.

Lust.

Hope.

And something else that I can't quite place. They were all there, mixed in this consuming dark fire behind her eyes.

What struck me the most was how obvious all the emotions were in her bright blue eyes and that there was no disgust. No guilt. No anger. Unlike when Dani looked at me.

Brittany just looked at me with no hint of hesitation or distrust. She knew I was acting weird, she knew that I was trouble and that I was purposely hiding my appearance. Brittany had all the reasons no to trust and yet here she was, her eyes shining in the most penetrating and honest look.

"Do I make you nervous, Santana?" Brittany repeats as her hands find purchase on my hips. We were at the bend before the stairs, anyone could just walk up and see the two of us. If Dani would step out, she'd only have to take less than 5 steps and she'd no doubt see us, too.

"Yes." I whisper and at the same time trying to control the rapid beating in my chest. "but only because you're standing way to close and anyone can walk through here any-"

Soft lifts pushing against my own cut off any thought from my brain, making bright white spots to explode behind my eyelids. It felt like I had been hit with a ball of fire. heat erupted from my chest first before spreading up my neck and lips, mixing with the electricity from Brittany too. Consuming us both.

Brittany was kissing me and it felt good.

It felt indescribably good. Like I was drowning and flying at the same time.

I could feel a strong tingling sensation anywhere Brittany's skin touched mine; her nose against mine, her lips, even her hair. Everything was sensation. For that moment, there was no Finn, no botched-up job, no Dani. Nothing. Just Brittany and her lips against mine. My eyes closed almost automatically as my lips move against hers without my permission.

It was like I had no control over my own body. Brittany had infected me and I didn't have it within me to be- a warm tongue dances over my lower lips and my eyes roll to the back of my head. I couldn't stop the moan from escaping. Any thoughts were shattered with the feel of her hot, moist tongue. This felt different. Too different. I part my lips and Brittany's tongue is there, pushing past my lips and dancing against my own tongue.

Not struggling for control like it had been with Dani. Kissing Brittany like this felt like we were two dancers getting reacquainted in a sensual dance after so long. It felt familiar and I had no idea why. There was no space between us. Our bodies fit perfectly. Every bend, curve and angle.

When Brittany's lips suck on my tongue, a moan erupts between us but I wasn't sure who it came from. I don't think she knew either.

"Santana..." the blonde whispers, her voice husky and thick with arousal and it makes a heat erupt between my legs.

I squeeze my thighs together to control my- "Brittany..." I moan against her lips when her hands slip under my dress to squeeze the sensitive flesh just under my ass, "shit..."

I could feel my arousal pooling in my panties, soaking it. It felt like I was wetter than I was when I was grinding on the detective. It didn't make sense. How could this woman turn me on so much with just a kiss and few touches?

Brittany's right hand suddenly released the cheek it was deliciously massaging to creep up my side, leaving fire and electricity in it's wake. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought she had elemental powers too.

Her fingers slipped under the wig and into my brunette hair. "I'm glad that was a wig, I really do love your real hair." she says against my neck before tightening around the hair on the back of my head. It was so deliciously painful. My arms make their way around her neck, tangling my own fingers in smooth blonde hair.

Brittany pulls back and a whine escapes my lips. "Britt-" my plea was cut off when she pulls my hair back, tilting my head to left. The wig surprisingly still in it's place thanks to the two pins I used. The blonde trails kisses all over my neck and when her lips close around a spot on the base of my neck, my knees suddenly buckle under me. Brittany just moved one hand around my waist to prevent me from completely dropping to the floor. Even in my haze, I didn't fail to notice just how strong she was.

The moan that escapes my lips were loud enough to echo around the empty hallway, "Oh god..."  
>When Brittany hums her approval, the vibrations traveled from her throat, through her mouth, before settling in the apex between my legs.<p>

The sound of someone clearing their throat breaks me from my haze. Everything suddenly comes back to me; Puck, Dani, Finn, the mission.

I gently push against Brittany's shoulders, peeling myself from her. Again, another whine escapes between us, again I wasn't sure from which one of us the needy sound had come from.

"Forgive me. I don't know what came over me." Brittany whispers, her voice still heavy with arousal.  
>"You..." I cleared my throat, trying to clear it, "You should be. You made me forget myself."<br>Brittany flashed a winning smile, "is that a good thing or-" "Santana."

A voice says from behind me. Again, I had somehow forgotten my surroundings. I take a breath to refocus as footsteps approached, "Danielle." I say, smoothing down my dress and hair.

The detective simply walked up to me and handed me my phone, "You left this, it's Puck."

The mention of his name effectively focused my attention, "excuse me." I tell Brittany. She simply smiled before stepping in front of me and planting a chaste kiss on my cheek.  
>"I'll leave you two alone." She smiles but her eyes were burning with the unfulfilled desire we obviously both felt.<p>

Brittany nodded at Dani before stepping around us and heading for the vast hallway.

I forced myself to look away and focus. Without looking at Dani, I took the phone and walked towards the stairs. Leaving her to follow behind me. If I addressed her now, I'll lose focus on what we're here for and I can't afford that. Not with the Wilde sisters so close.

"Puck." I say to the receiver, still trying to slow my heart.  
>"Something's happened to the sisters, are you seeing this?" He asks.<p>

I started to say no, when a flash of white reflecting off the glass of the crystal chandelier over the ballroom. It immediately caught my eye as the color moved across the hundreds of crystals. I follow the shape to it's source and saw Marley. Her eyes were dead set on the ballroom exit, walking so quickly towards it that I didn't know she kept her strappy high-heels on. It looked like she was being chased. As the brunette made her way to the door, I scanned the rest of the room for Kitty.

There that crazy, psychotic bitch was, several feet behind her sister and closing fast. Ryerson and a couple of giants trailed right behind her. All four of them power-walking towards the exit-

"Puck!" A male voice rang out, "Noah Puckerman! It is you!"

Damn.

As soon as I heard his name, my feet had carried me towards the bar. Towards Puck. I knew Kitty heard it too, because she had suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

Ryerson almost slamming into her from behind.

An older man shyly mumbles his apologies before stepping around Kitty and heading to Puck. Unaware of Kitty's sudden interest in him. I could see a grin erupt from the blond bitch's face as soon as her eyes land on Puck, who's hand was half-raised to greet the man.

No. No no no no.

Kitty barked the command to the three giants behind her. Ryerson grabbed Quinn, who was holding Puck's arm, and threw the vampire onto his shoulder. Everyone at the ballroom stared at the group curiously but nobody intervened, they might be rich here but nobody was stupid enough to stick their nose in other people's businesses.

As I made my way to Puck, I saw Quinn start to struggle against Ryerson. "Let me go!" the vampire snarled before twisting her body and sinking her fangs into Ryerson's forearm.

The giant yelped but didn't let go of his grip on her waist as they stepped through the door, closing it behind them. Puck bolted from his seat after them.

Shit.

I notice Brittany standing in the balcony above us, watching me. Dani was beside me and we were running towards the exit but there were too many people for us to run in a straight line.

Zigzag, zigzag, zigzag. That was all we could do to catch up to Puck and Quinn.

As soon as I see a space between the crowd, someone suddenly steps in front of me. I glanced up and saw that it was one of Blaine's giants. The one from earlier.

"There you are." he rumbled, "Mr. Anderson would like a word with you."

Fuck it. No time to be subtle.

I drove my knee into his groin hard, making him yelp and bent over. I'd already pulled out one of my silverstone knives, so I smashed him in the windpipe with the handle. Choking, he stumbled back. The giant's ass hit a table, and it flipped over. Drinks and food flew everywhere. Screams and curses rose up, but I was already on my way out the door.

It was a straight shot from the ballroom to the front entrance of the country club, but I couldn't see Kitty, Ryerson, or Puck in the hallway. They had to be outside already. Getting past the giant had cost me precious seconds.

I ran down the hall toward the front door. I caught the sound footsteps scuffing the carpet behind me; without breaking my stride I looked back and saw Dani there. A hard mask had settled over the detective's face, pushing the guilt and jealousy that I saw in her eyes earlier. The detective was putting aside her conflicting feelings long enough to get the job done. What a professional.

The outside door was open, letting the afternoon sun stream in through the entrance. Hitting me as I burst through the country club's ornate double doors. But the sun didn't warm me. Not one damn bit. My head whips from left, then right.

There.

A limo was sat at the curb halfway up the steep hill that led up to the country club. I sprinted towards it and could faintly hear Quinn screaming, her voice sounding far away.

"No! Stop hurting him! Let him go!" she screamed. As I got closer, I spotted Ryerson just as he drove his meaty fist against Puck's stomach. His body immediately sagged. Unconscious. He better fucking be unconscious.

Ryerson picked him up like a doll and shoved him into the back of the Limo before climbing in after him.

"Puck!" I screamed, at least 10 meters from the car, "Puck!"

Too late.

The door slammed shut and the limo peeled away. Disappearing into the afternoon sun.

For a moment, I just stood there, not quite believing how fucked up this plan have gotten. Now Kitty had Puck and Quinn. Luck. That fickle little bitch had really fucked me over today. First, Dani and Brittany, now this.

I could hear the detective run up behind me, a gun in her hand. I glance at her and notice several of the valet personnel and limo drivers staring at us, wondering what all the drama was about.

Finn's teachings immediately took over.

"We need to get out of here, now." I tell her lowly. "Blaine's giants won't be far behind and we're drawing too much attention to ourselves. Keep you gun and follow me." Dani nods as she slips her handgun into her thigh holster.

Not wanting to risk bringing a stolen vehicle into the country club, Puck had chosen to use one of his more modest car. A 2000-model Benz- which he still had the keys to.

Time to find another ride.

I made my way to the large parking lot behind the club. Away from the curious eyes of the limo drivers. After about two minutes of looking, I found a late model BMW- the old kind that had no alarm.

Using the hilt of my knife, I smashed the driver-side window open then tried to hot-wire the car. Puck had tried to teach me but it was never something that I was interested in. After a full-minute, I managed to twist the right wires together and the old car growled to life.

Once the car was started, Dani jumped into the passenger seat. Neither of us said as word as I hit the has, the car roaring forward and out the parking lot. I drove about four miles, pulled into the driveway of a convenience store, and stopped the car.

"What are you doing?" she asks as I pull my phone out of my purse, "who are you calling?"  
>"Puck."<br>The phone rang one, twice, three times - "Hello?"

Instead of Puck, it was Quinn's voice whispered from the other line.  
>"It's Santana."<br>"Santana, they're hurting him-" She sobbed and it made my stomach twist in the most unpleasant way.

"I'm sorry, Quinn. This is my fault. I swear to you that I'll fix this. You'll be back home with Beth in no time. I swear." I said, trying to soothe her.  
>"Please."<br>"I promise. Put Kitty on the line." I hit a button for speaker phone and held the phone closer to Dani so she could hear it too.

"Who the hell is this?" a woman's voice came on the line. Cold. Pissed. Smug.  
>"Hello, Kitty."<br>A shrill, piercing laughter erupts from the speakers, "so you know my voice? Good."  
>"Where's your sister?" I asked.<br>There's a mocking, disappointed sound at the other side of the line, "why look for my sister? Don't you want to speak with me?"

"Where's Marley?" I ask again.

Honestly, I'd much rather deal with the brunette than Kitty. Marley seemed smart enough to consider my offer of letting them walk away. Marley was afraid of what would happen if I turned over the evidence to Blaine Anderson and who could blame her. She didn't want to die.

Kitty was the exact opposite of her. She was too power-hungry. Filled with too much hate and driven-mad with vengeance for her father's death. An undercurrent of insanity coated her voice, a small peal I could hear behind the smugness and menace.

Kitty Wilde was high on her own magic and she had no intention of coming down from it. No wonder she was stupid enough to think she could take on Blaine herself- and now she has something I care about, Puck.

This just cannot end well.

For any of us.

"Marley's... gone." she says with an obvious tone of disappointment.  
>My brows furrowed, "What do you mean gone?"<br>"I mean, that scheming little kiss ass decided to make a run for it." Kitty sneered, "but she did tell me about your, so-called, demands. She said things got too complicated and bolted."  
>"And you didn't go after her?"<p>

A bitter laugh erupts from the speakers again, "Why bother? She's always been holding me back. Telling me to be careful and sensible. Let that little coward hide from you and big, bad Blaine Anderson. I'm better off."

Dani and I glanced at each other, "so you're dealing with me now, you little bitch."

I didn't say anything. Instead, I listened to anything that could give me a clue where they are. Faint mumbling and rustling in the background. Followed by the sound of a far away beep of a car-horn. They were getting farther and farther from me and I had no idea which direction they headed, no way of tracking them or finding out where they are.

"Now..." Kitty calls out, "I'm guessing you know all about me, now I wanna know who the hell am I speaking with."  
>I scoffed, "you know exactly who I am. You've had your mutts hunting me for a while."<br>"I'm sorry, who? I want to hear you say it."  
>I drew in a breath, "I'm the spider, the assassin you hired then double-crossed."<p>

I notice Dani flinch at the name as Kitty's laughter erupts a third time from my phone, "The spider. How the hell did you even come up with a nickname as corny as 'The Spider'?"

I didn't answer. I just looked at Dani, her guilt-filled eyes.

The name had reminded her of who I was and what I did. I was sure she was thinking about her partner and how she had betrayed him by letting herself kiss and touch me that way- and enjoying the hell out of it. I could see the her lips form into a tight line. Damn. Now was not the time for her to start hating me again. As much as I wish I could rescue Puck and Quinn on my own, I knew I needed her.

"What do you want?" I asked

After a moment, Kitty's laughter died down, "I want that fucking flash drive and any copies you may have made." she said, "in return, you get your friends back in one piece- more or less."

As if to highlight her point, a series of slap-slap-slap sound followed the silence. I could hear a low groan a second later.

Puck. He was still alive. Getting beaten to a pulp but at least he was alive. "What was that?" Kitty mocked as I continued to listen in silence.

Another hard slap rang out, followed by a high-pitched, stifled scream.

Quinn.

One of the giant's had hit Quinn.

My free hand clenched against the steering wheel, "listen to me, you fucking psychopath. I don't pay for damaged goods. You tell your bitch, Ryerson, to stop hitting Puck right fucking now. And if he or any of your dogs so much as think of touching the woman in any way, I'll hand deliver this flash drive to Blaine Anderson my-fucking-self and watch as he hunts you down and burns you alive."

Silence.

A calculated gamble.

Kitty Wilde may not be afraid of Blaine and his magic but she had to realize that getting Blaine involved in this won't make things any easier for her.

"Agreed." a reluctant promise.  
>"Name the place." I asked.<br>She took a few seconds to think, "the old rock quarry just outside of town. You know it?"  
>I closed my eyes. Memories and images flashed through my mind.<p>

Playing there with Bria as a child.

Cowering in one of the small caves around the rocky outcroppings after the the murder of my family.

Rachel sitting with me among the rocks, showing me how to master my elemental magic.

Finn hunched on a large slab of stone singing some stupid song while I ran lap after lap around the quarry, circling my way from the bottom to the top and back down again.

"I know it." I husked.

"Two hours. Be there with the flash drive, or your friends die. Slowly." Kitty hung up. I hit a button, doing the same, then stared at Dani. The detective looked back at me, her hard stare tightening the planes of her face. I sighed. "Go ahead and say it."

"This is your fault. Kitty got them as hostage because of you." She says without hesitation, her eyes frosted over. "Because you were too busy making out with me and that blonde. You were too distracted. Here I am thinking that you were a professional."

I flinched at the memory of Brittany but I shook it off, "there was no way of knowing that man would call out to Puck." I said. "Although I do admit that leaving Puck at the bar was a miscalculation on my part." Disgust filled Dani's brown-green eyes.

"A miscalculation?" Her disgust, her anger, knifed into me, piercing my heart. But I pushed the feeling aside. Again. Now was the time for conflict or emotion. Now was the time to be as hard and cold as my own Ice and Stone magic.

"You're not mad about Puck or Quinn, are you? No. You're not stupid, you know that was fluke, something that happens one time out of a thousand." I snapped, "You're mad because you just couldn't stop yourself. You're mad because you didn't push me away in that closet. You're mad because you were willing willing to get fucked by me in that closet, just as willing as I was to drive my fingers inside you and make you come."

Dani's hands clenched into fists. She looked like she wanted to punch something- possibly me.  
>I didn't care. "That's not all there is to it, is there?" I added.<br>The detective's eyes widened and there's that spark similar to black fire that I saw in Brittany's eyes.

Jealousy.

"It just eats you up that I was with Brittany, doesn't it?" I asked but she stays silent. "You're angry because she had her mouth and hands on me. And you hate that it bothers you. Because that means you're betraying some messed up bond with your dead partner."

Dani's jaw just tightens and she stared straight ahead.

"You know what?" I say as the car roared to life, "you can blame me and hate me and call me all the nasty names you want-later. You saw that photo of my handler; if I can't get to Quinn and Puck, the same thing is going to happen to them. You can help me save them or stay out of the way, your choice."

Dani's eyes snapped to me and she glared, hate and disgust shimmering in her eyes, "I'll help you- for Quinn. because she has Beth. Because she's the kind of the person that I've sworn to protect. I'm not going to help you for Puck and sure as hell not for you. I couldn't give two shits about you if I tried. Is that clear?" Her words ripped into my but I kept my face blank. Cold. Hard.

"Crystal."


	14. The Gladiator and the Golden Lion

_**A/N: Quick update for everyone.**_

_**To lg4az, mayflowers and LuckyDuck132: thank you so much. I may not say it out loud but I always look forward to your reviews. Thank you for liking this story and for encouraging me to keep writing. From the bottom of my heart, thank you :)**_

_**PS. I don't own anything. Except mistakes, of course.**_

_**By the way, exciting news: I'm writing a Karmy fic and a Maleficent!Brittana fanfic. So watch out for those!**_

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><p>It's funny how fast people can move when they know they have a deadline. After my argument with the detective, it took me less than five minutes to drive what would have been a 15-minute circuitous route to my apartment. Once we got there, I ran my hand along the stone checking for any signs that someone was upstairs waiting to ambush us.<p>

Nothing.

I guess Kitty had no reason to have us followed or killed when yet since we were on our way to meet her anyway.

As soon as I stepped through the door, I toed my heels off before wiggling out of my dress. Not even caring that the detective was just behind me. "Give me a minute." I mumble before heading to my room, throwing the dress into the hamper on the way.

Moving over to the mantle, I grabbed the three drawings before closing the door behind me. I headed straight for the bathroom and got in the shower, peeling off my ruined underwear before washing myself from the make-up and dirt.

I tried to keep any thoughts of Brittany away but it was no use, my mind bombarded itself with everything Brittany. Her smell, her taste, the feel of her lips and the way she had touched me. It made an involuntary groan escape me.

Her beautiful eyes.

It made electricity run up my spine and I forced myself to push it aside. Slamming my hand on the tiled wall of the bathroom. I can't be distracted. Not now.

I diverted my energy into making sure that I washed my hair, cleaned my nails and rubbed soap on my body with unnecessary attention. When I stepped out of the shower, I walked towards the bed and knelt beside it, puling out a small duffle bag before fishing my phone out of my purse

I hit a familiar number on my speed dial. It rang once, "Santana."  
>"I need you to do something for me." I say as I tapped on the appropriate icon on the screen, putting her on speaker phone.<br>The woman paused for a second and I could tell she was worried, she knew something was wrong. "Fine."

"You know where my apartment is, right?" I got up and walked to my closet, "Rachel?"  
>"Yes. I know it."<br>"Good. If I don't show up at the Pit tomorrow, I need you to go to my apartment. You'll find a bag on my bed. Keep it safe." I tell her, stuffing the three drawings into the bag and zipping it closed.  
>"What happened?" Rachel asks<br>I draw in a breath to stop myself from snapping at her, "Rachel, Can you. do that. for me?" I ask again, slowly. Emphasizing on every word.

She lets out a breath and a soft, "I can."  
>"Good"<br>Pulling up my panties, I stared at the phone on my bed. Feeling slightly sorry for leaving the dwarf in the dark, Rachel deserved to know. In case, I die.

"They got Puck. She- Kitty. She got Puck."  
>"and you're going to confront her, aren't you?"<br>"I have no choice. I just need to make sure that whatever's left of my family is-" "You're stronger than her, Santana. You can defeat her."  
>I couldn't help but sigh, "yeah, I don't think so." I tell her, "but I'll do my best to make sure that Puck is safe." I tell her as while I get into my usual "<em>business<em>" attire.

Black pants, long-sleeved shirt, and boots. "Focus on defeating Kitty not on what you need to take care of before you die. Do you understand me? You are not allowed to die, Santana Lopez. " She says, "and you're not going to. I know you, and I know you'd never let yourself get beaten so easily. Especially not by some corporate brat with a little air magic." Rachel's voice says firmly, echoing around my head.

"I'm not planning to die; just planning ahead."  
>I went over to the dresser and opened the bottom drawer. A thin vest lay inside. On the outside, it looked just like the ones that I normally wore in assignments but these were specially made for me. The plates inside were made of silverstone, basically rendering it indestructible to bullet and knives. It also helps by absorbing magical power. Just like the silverstone on my palms.<p>

Once I clasp it in place, I opened the next drawer down. A row of knives sitting comfortable on custom-cut charcoal foam glinted up at me. I stuffed two in my boots. Two more went up my sleeves. A fifth knife got tucked against the small of my back.

As much as I wanted Kitty Wilde to suffer for what she did to Finn, the most important thing right now is to make sure that Puck and Quinn were safe. That means I needed kill Kitty as soon as I get the chance. I'm sure Finn would agree that the safety of his brother is more important than torturing his killer.

Dead was dead.

As long as we were breathing and she wasn't, well, I just have happy with that.

I wasn't an idiot and neither was Kitty. She wouldn't be content with a simple trade. No, she'd see this as an opportunity to get rid of all the loose ends. I wasn't going to get double-crossed twice by the same bitch.

Once I was ready, I headed back to the living room where I say Dani gearing up. She had replaced her dress with a black shirt and black cloth pants. She was also wearing a black tactical vest and a shoulder holster on top. Black combat boots finished and a high ponytail finished her look.

The only thing missing were aviator shades and maybe a K-9 partner.  
>I couldn't stop my eyebrow from raising, "what the hell are you wearing?"<br>"What?" Dani asks, "Look, I was SWAT before I became a detective. Bite me."  
>"Already have, Detective."<br>She mumbles something that I didn't quite catch before clipping a small revolver on her ankle holster. When that was done, she took the gun from her left side, ejected the clip, pulled the trigger then pushed the full clip back into the gun. Checking it for any defect that might cost her, her life. Once satisfied, she did the same with the pistol on her other side.

I coughed out a laugh, "you ready, Rambo?"  
>"Shut up." her tone serious.<p>

But I noticed that she didn't put the third pistol away. She held it to her side, her finger not quite on the trigger. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was thinking, she wanted to shoot me. That she should just kill me now while she had the chance.

Avenge the murder of Brody Weston.

Go after Kitty with the flash drive.

Save Quinn and Puck. Maybe arrest Puck.

And end this attraction that she felt for me.

Several birds, one stone.

"What? Are you going to shoot me detective?" I asked, my fingers caressing the handle of the knife that I had already palmed. Nothing was going to keep me from getting to Puck. Not Dani. Not Brittany. Definitely not the way I felt about them.

She doesn't meet my gaze, "I want to." she admitted, "for everything that you've done and all the people you've killed. You deserve it. You deserve to die." she shrugs.

I straighten, "probably."

That made Dani look at me, "but if you kill me now, Quinn dies too. Kitty will flay you alive and you wouldn't even be able to get close enough to Quinn to help her- her blood will be on your hands. Puck's too."

"I'm a cop, I'm not an amateur. I can save Quinn. Puck can die too. I don't care."  
>My jaw tightened at her words, "No you can't."<br>"That's what you think."  
>"That's what I know." I said, "those guns of yours might be nice, but you don't have any magic, Dani."<p>

Her eyes narrowed as she stepped right in front of me, "and you have so much? I've seen your Ice magic. It's not that impressive."

"No it's not."

The detective didn't know that I could also control another element, it was something she didn't need to know anyway. She didn't know how strong my Stone magic was. That Rachel had always told me that I had more raw magic than anyone. That sometime, knowing and remembering what I can do with my magic even scared me.

"No, my magic isn't that impressive." I repeat, "but I have no morals. I don't care what's wrong or right. I'd be more than happy to stab Kitty in the back the first chance I got."

She didn't disagree.  
>"Just... Just tell me this." she says, her voice was heavy as she let out a sigh.<br>I cock my head to the right, "tell you what?"  
>"Why'd you do it? Why did you kill Brody Weston? Who hired you?" she asks, her eyes pleading.<p>

There it was. The unavoidable question. The one I knew she would ask sooner or later.  
>"You don't want to know." I tell her coldly.<br>"Yes I do! Tell me." she demanded

For all her toughness and bravado, for all the things she'd seen in his life, Danielle was still very idealistic. Still hoping, still wanting to believe in the inherent good in people. Because of that, because of this foolish softness I felt for her, I didn't want to tell her how perverted her precious partner had been. Didn't want to tell him about the little girl's brutal rape and beating.

Knowing what Brody Weston had done would shatter any remaining illusions Danielle had about her partner and probably people in general.

If you can't trust the guy you're riding with in the squad car, then who can you trust? The knowledge would harden something inside of her, the way my family's murder had done to me all those years ago.

"Somebody wanted Weston dead so I made that happen. I know you have this weird belief that your partner was some sort of saint, but he had his secrets too. Just like everyone else. If you want to know why, figure it out for yourself."

Dani's eyes narrowed at my answer but I didn't give her any time to argue, "now are you going to put that gun away and help me or will you do something stupid and die on my floor?"

The detective drew in a breath and his hand tightened around the pistol. For a moment, I thought that she had made the wrong choice. When Dani gave a long sigh, she raised her hand and tucked the pistol back in it's holster.

"I'll help you." she said, "I owe that much for saving me. Besides, I can't leave people to die. No matter who they are."  
>"Good. We've got less than and hour. Let's move."<p>

As we drove towards the quarry, I could fell an icy hand creeping into my chest and wrapping itself around my heart. Holding it tight and whispering all the bad things that could happen in the next few hours.

Fear.

Although I could tell that I wasn't afraid for myself or the fact that I might die tonight. I had accepted that. Accepted that dying in the hands of Kitty was a possible thing.

Kitty Wilde, the Air elemental who enjoyed using her power to kill. She was every bit as dangerous and deadly as I was. Even worse, she was high on her magic, coming apart at the seams, like a rag doll slowly losing her stuffing, one puffy piece of fabric at a time.

No, my fear wasn't for myself. It was for the others. Fear for Puck, even Quinn And what the elemental might have already done to them—or would do. Despite her promise, that crazy evil bitch might decide to have a little fun with her food. And I wondered whether or not the two could survive it until I got there.

The Willowfield Quarry was carved out of one of the taller mountains in the area. At one time, years ago, the quarry had been one of the focal industries in the city, employing thousands of people to extract tons and tons of ore and others from the mountain. But whatever rock or ore or gemstones that had been hidden under the earth had long been exhausted, and now the quarry stood empty, with only the murmur of the stones to break the silence.

The only people who came here these days were dwarves who tapped into the sheer walls of the quarry with their small pickaxes, looking for something sparkly to take back home to the kids.

We arrived at the quarry fifteen minutes before our time was up. I approached the area from the south, taking a little-used access road I remembered running across more than once as a kid. The same access road Bria and I used to to get in and out of the quarry without disturbing the workers.

"How did you even know about this? Have you been here before?" Dani asked. The first words she'd spoken to me since we'd left the apartment. "Not many people know about this road."  
>"When I was a kid, I used to come out here and play sometimes."<br>The detective gave me a strange look, but she didn't pry. I didn't offer any more information, like the fact I'd also come to the quarry to listen to the stones talk to me. To attune myself to the different vibrations they gave off. To practice my magic. To find a bit of peace in a world that had been turned upside down.

"What about you?" I asked.  
>She shrugged. "Just for the occasional body dump. It was a popular site a few years ago. We still come out here several times a year. In the spring, this place would practically be a haven for murderers. Brody and I—"<p>

Dani shut up and stared out the window. Brooding. About me, about us, about the fact I'd hadn't told her why I'd murdered her partner.

A few minutes later, I slid the car into a stand of maple trees about a mile out from the quarry, parked it, and got out. Dani did the same and turned to face me across the hood.  
>"Why are you stopping?" She asked. "The Quarry is still a ways away."<br>"Because you're not coming in with me."

I could see the shock register in her face as her eyebrows furrow, "What the fuck are you talking about?" she snapped at me.  
>"Like I've been saying this whole time, Kitty is an Air elemental," I said. "You won't stand a chance against her."<br>"And you will?"

I sigh, "Whether you want to admit it or not, I can do things you won't let yourself do because I have no conscience. Besides, Kitty is expecting me to come along, she won't appreciate the company. It'll just make her trigger-finger twitchier than it already is." I tell her, "I'm going to get her attention, get her to focus on me. Your job is to get around her and the giants, get Puck and Quinn and get out- no matter what."

Dani shook her head, "This is crazy-"  
>"I'm sure Kitty will have Ryerson with her. You need to take them out or else none of us are going to survive this. Can you do that?"<br>The detective nodded.  
>"Good. Let's get this over with."<p>

Dani looked at me one last time and our eyes met. I knew what she was thinking, barely three hours ago, we were making out in a closet and now we were both on our way to our possible deaths.

Irony. Another fucking bitch.

Once again, I felt that warm softness for her and I couldn't help but compare it to the frantic electricity when Brittany looked at me. The sensations I felt between them were too different. I gave myself a mental slap. If I thought about this too much, I'll get distracted. Unfocused. I wouldn't be able to do what needed to be done and that was a luxury I could afford, not now, not ever.

Dani nodded her head at me, her way of saying 'Good luck' or 'Goodbye', before stepping back and disappearing into the shadows. I waited until I couldn't hear her footsteps anymore before squaring my shoulders and walking towards the entrance to the quarry.

As I strode along, I touched the various knives hidden on me before tracing my thumbs over the ridges of the scar on my palm. The silverston comforted me, the way they always did. Kitty might kill me tonight, but now way in hell was I going down easy.

I walked about half a mile before I saw the entrance to the quarry. Several rusty signs were vandalized:

**'Enter ****at**** your own ****risk! ****DICK.**'  
><strong>'FALLING <strong>**DEBRIS ****VAGINAS'  
>'HARD <strong>**HAT**** ON****LY**** AREA'**

The remains of a tall iron gate ringed the entrance, but I stepped through a gap where someone had pried the bars loose, and headed inside.

The quarry was shaped like a deep, wide bowl that was over a mile wide. The walls of the quarry rose several hundred feet above my head. Bits of quartz flashed in the low light, reminding me of cameras at a sporting event. For a moment, I felt like I was in some sort of ancient Roman coliseum. A gladiator forced to fight tigers and lions and other men just so I could see another sunrise.

In a way, I supposed I'd been a gladiator since I was thirteen, always fighting to survive, and distancing myself from the ugly things I had to do in the process.

I never realized how fucking tired I was of it until right now.

I felt like yelling _Are you not entertained? _Just like Russel Crowe in that one movie.

With so much raw element around me, I didn't need to touch the stones to hear them. Their sound rang in my head like a low, steady drum, punctuated here and there by beats of unease and anticipation. Even the stones knew that something different was happening here tonight.

A milky, white glow arched out beyond a curve. I'd seen that light before, at Dani's cabin when bitch's control slipped.

Her power had really driven her mad, the only way to end this would be to kill her. I hope I was strong enough- for everyone's sake.

I rounded the bend and there she was, Kitty Wilde.

She stood in the very middle of the quarry, the white light flickering in the palm of her hands, bathing her in an angelic glow she didn't deserve. If I felt like a Gladiator, then Kitty was the blonde, golden-haired Lion I had to face to survive.

If I lose, I die.

My eyes narrow, taking in every detail I could. Her elegant dress was covered up. Now she was wearing the same black cloak she wore outside of Dani's cabin the night she'd come to torture and kill the detective. I wondered if she'd worn the same thing when she murdered Finn. If my mentor's blood was trapped in the fabric. The billowing material made Kitty look like some wannabe wizard out of a Harry Potter book. Her cloak didn't really go with the large jet tooth that hung in the middle of the gleaming strand. The same necklace she'd worn in the photo with Ken Tanaka.

I eyed the rune. Power. Strength. Prosperity. The tooth was as big as my palm and polished to a high gloss. The rune was even bigger than the ruby sunburst Blaine was so fond of wearing. Blonde Devil was showing off just for me.

And she wasn't alone.

My eyes immediately went to Quinn and Puck. They stood side by side, their hands tied behind their backs. Puck had several fresh cuts on his face, blood was still dripping from a cut on lip.

One of Quinn's cheeks were red and puffy and she was leaning to her side, against puck. She was hurt. Their clothes were bloody and torn, but other than that, they looked no worse for wear.

Better than I expected.

Sandy Ryerson, Hunter Clarington's friend and a third anonymous thug, formed a triangle around the two. They must all be the men she had left. Otherwise, they would all be here. Good to know.

I wondered if Dani had already circled behind the three men, if she could see her captain pointing a gun at Quinn's head.

When the Quinn and PUck heard my footsteps, their head immediately snapped up, Puck gave me a half-smirk and a nod. Quinn, who was still leaning against him, poked out her fangs from behind her lips. She was ready to sink her teeth into the first person unlucky enough. Good for her.

"Assassin." Kitty purred, her voice coated in arrogance. "Nice of you to join us."  
>She threw back the hood of her back to expose her face, "so you're the infamous Spider." she mused, "I thought you'd be taller." she adds.<br>I return her cold stare, "Says the woman wearing a tacky Harry Potter cloak. What are you? Twelve?"  
>"Ouch." she said, "killer insult."<br>I force out a laugh, "oh and she has puns. How charming."

She didn't respond, we just stared each other down as her men looked on. Their fingers fidgeting on the triggers of their guns. That's right, focus on me.

"You know, you've caused me quite a bit of trouble." Kitty says  
>I shrug, "trouble has it's way of finding me and I have the habit of dealing with it." Her eyes narrowed into slits, "Same here."<p>

We stared at each other again. Magic flickered like lightning in her gaze, brightening her eyes until they were almost pure white. A similar glow outlined her palms. She was focusing on her power, ready to use it on me the instant I stepped out of line. I could feel her Air elemental magic snapping around her.

The sensation of the opposing element made my skin crawl and the silverstone in my hands to burn.  
>"So before we get into it, tell me. Why me? Out of all the assassins, why did you choose me to double cross?"<br>"Because you were the easiest to identify."  
>This made my ears perk up in attention, "how?"<p>

"If you're as good as you say you are then you know that my old friend ken Tanaka liked his fair share hookers. Seems he needed a little help getting it up and was embarrassed by more traditional relationships."

I nod. I'd seen exactly what kinds of relationships Gordon liked to have in his photo stash—ones that involved costumes.

"When I realized that Ken was growing suspicious about where so much of the company's money was going and he began poking around, I made Ryerson follow him and pick up the women he was with to see what if he had mentioned anything to them," Kitty continued.

"Ken was smart enough to keep his mouth shut to the whores, but Ryerson got some interesting information out of one of them. Information about an assassin called the Spider."

So that's how they found us. Fucking pro bono work.

"Turns out, you had done some work for one of them. Killed some cop. I didn't really care. It took some legwork but eventually, we found your handler and the rest, as they say, is bloody, bloody history."

Puck stared at Kitty and the hate sparked behind his eyes but he made no move, he was smarter than that. He knew I'd take care of Kitty- or die trying.

"That giant oaf, Finn Hudson, was easy enough to find.." she started, "but you, we never could find you."  
>"Of course you couldn't and that's why you hired Viper to put me down at the opera house."<br>Kitty smiled, "skill, beauty and brains. Aren't you the complete package?" she says, "but enough talking, where's the flash drive?"

I slowly reached into my front pocket and pulled out the small device, "you mean this?"  
>"Did you make other copies?"<br>I shrugged, "I tried to, but Ken Tanaka encrypted the drive with some software that I wasn't familiar with." an easy lie.

Before we headed here, I'd used my laptop to set-up a timed email with all the information on it. At exactly 6 A.M., the email will be sent to every news station, the police and Blaine Anderson. I may die tonight but at least I'll die knowing that Kitty's days will be numbered.

"What about Lovato?" Ryerson husks from behind Kitty. Kitty turned to look at him, "What about the detective?"  
>The captain stared at her, "she had to be the one that saved her that night. He's a loose end."<br>Kitty dismissed him with an airy wave of her hand, "we'll deal with her later. The assassin's here and she's got the flash drive. You know what to do. Kill her."

Ryerson didn't hesitate. He raised his gun and fired twice.

The bullets slammed into my chest, spun me and knocked me to the ground. The flash drive flew out of my hand and landed somewhere on the rocky ground.

Ryerson might have been a dirty cop but his aim was true, he hit me right on the heart. I would have died instantly if I wasn't wearing my vest. Still, the force of the bullet felt like I had been smacked in the chest with a ninety-miles-per-hour fast ball but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to lay perfectly still. I was on my stomach with my face away from Kitty

The echo of the gunshot reverberated throughout the quarry, throwing the stones in a frenzy of unease but I blocked out the noise as I counted.

Ten... Twenty... forty-five...

"Get the flash drive." Kitty barks, "and put a couple more in her head." I had to admire her thoroughness, if nothing else.

Heavy footsteps approach me but I couldn't tell which on of the three she sent over, didn't matter anyway. I caress the knife I had pulled out as the man stops just beside me.

A hand settled on my shoulder and turned me over, I looked up at the man's face.

Hunter's friend.

When he sees me looking less than dead, he bared his yellow teeth and hissed, "She's not-"

Last thing he ever said.

I rammed my knife into his heart. The man stumbled back, and I used his momentum to pull myself up. The sudden move surprised the others, and they stood there, not quite sure what had happened.

"Run!" I screamed at Puck and Quinn, "Now!"

Puck slammed his shoulder into the second man, who stumbled back. While Quinn darted past him and sprinted away. Puck Quickly fell in step behind her, and the two of them ran as best they could with their hands cuffed behind their backs. They disappeared around an outcropping of rock.

Ryerson and the other guy didn't know what to do—shoot Quinn and Puck or come after me.

They chose me.

As soon as they raise their guns towards me, I threw the dead giant to the side and dove to my right, four more bullets whizzing past my head. As I rolled forward, I pulled a knife from my boot and threw it at the men, hitting the anonymous thug in the stomach, dropping his gun. He screamed in pain before yanking the knife out of his gut, his hand black and shiny with his own blood.

Stupid of him.

He took a step forward and crumpled to the ground. He'd bleed out in a minute or so.

That left Ryerson and Kitty to deal with. I grabbed the knife from my other boot but the police captain was quicker than me. He got off another shot, hitting me in the chest again, making me lose my breath before stumbling back. With my chest exposed, he popped another round into my vest and I fell to the ground. The knife clattering a few feet away from me.

"I'll deal with her!" Kitty screamed, "get the other two, now!"

Without hesitation, Ryerson turned and sprinted after Quinn and Puck. All I could hope for was for Puck and Quinn to either outrun him or for Dani to find them.

With the captain disappearing behind the bend, it left me and Kitty alone in the quarry. I was already having difficulty from the four bullets that had smacked my chest that my vision was spinning from the impact. Still, I scrambled for the the knife on my back then stumbled to my feet, getting ready to throw both of my knives at her. I needed to kill her now. Before she reached for her magic.

The strong gust of wind almost threw me to the ground again.

Too late.

Even as I came up on one knee, I could see Kitty's eyes had turned completely white as she fully embraced her power. The milky glow on her fingertips turned into magical flames, licking at her skin. In less than a second, the flames coalesced into a large ball of pure power, burning like a beacon between her fingers.

"Go to hell!" Kitty hissed and threw her magic at me. I shielded my face with my hands and closed my eyes before gathering as much stone magic as I could, bracing myself for the impact.

A moment passed, suddenly a white spiraling heat exploded on my chest and it felt like the skin was being twisted. It burned and ached, the pain making white spots appear behind my eyes. Her magic had gotten past my vest and magic and now it was flaying me alive.

I hope Puck and the others made it out.


	15. Atlas

**A/N: Hey guys. Another quick update because I didn't want to keep everyone hanging. :)  
><strong>  
><strong>Before we move on to the story, I just want to tell everyone how thankful I am for your support. I wasn't able able to handle all the negative comments well. See, I've always loved writing and it was only recently that I was urged to post it her on FF. I'm new to this and I'm insecure about my writing but I try my very best on each and every chapter and I appreciate everyone who's ever liked, followed, faved, reviewed, supported and read my stories. Sharing my stories feel like sharing a part of me with all of you (as cheesy as that sounds) so I want to do a good job at it.<strong>

**With that being said, just some messages to you:**

**Guest: A lot of Brittana fans do have elements like that for Brittany (the ducks, the rainbows, etc.) the Brittany in this story is a complicate person, as I think Brittany is on glee (being a secret genius and all). You'll meet my Brittany very soon. I'm thinking of dedicating a full chapter on introducing her.**

**Baffled second year creative and professional writing and english joints honors degree student: I don't know what a "****la Gustav Freytag's story plot pyramid" but I do know that you're awesome and thank you for leaving that part about the writer being brilliant. :)**

**20kels: I'm sweating just writing it yo.**

**Guest 2: Yes this is a Santana-centric fic but I'm also a Brittana shipper so there will be more Brittana. I promise. Hang in there. :)**

**AngieMG: We'll find out!**

**PS. This story is back for good.  
>PSS. Aside from mistakes, I own nothing.<br>PSS(S)(?) Follow me on twitter, HeyaFeelings**

* * *

><p>Rachel Berry was a very smart dwarf, she knew things before anyone else does because of her Air magic. It allows her to sense changes in the wind and somehow predict the future in one way or another. I didn't listen to her very often, mostly because I don't like the idea that a set of events had already been laid out for me, it just felt so restricting and I do what I can to change whatever she saw happening, if it didn't do anything in my favor.<p>

This was one of those times that I chose to listen to her.

Kitty's magic was like being hit with a fierce tornado, slamming into my chest. Unlike how she treated Finn, she went immediately for the kill shot.

I reached for more stone magic to protect myself as the Air magic spun and flayed my skin, the stone beneath me mumbling as the magic flowed in my veins.

I concentrated on the rocks, it's vibrations, and let it feed my weakening magic, forcing power through my veins onto my skin, eyes, and clothes. Making them as hard and unyielding as the rubble on the ground or the jagged stone walls of the quarry- The ball of Air magic on my chest seemed to pick up power, the added force knocked me on my ass and tore the knives from my hands.

Stone and Air magic didn't mix, just like Fire and Ice. Opposing elements never did and I could feel Kitty's power reacting to my own. Like the Air had been driven mad and was trying to crush my stone magic. The wind howled and thrashed against me, pushing me deeper and deeper into the ground. I did my best to ignore the screaming wind and concentrated on my own magic, focusing on the murmurs of the stone, drawing strength from them.

They were still here, despite being mined, bombed, blasted and dug into. Despite the passage of time and harshness of the elements. Despite everything, they stood tall and survived.

And so could I.

I gritted my teeth and pushed back against the Air magic, against the wind that battered my body and flayed my skin. The silverstone also reacted to the surge of power, absorbing some, but not all, of Kitty's magic. There was too much for the vest to absorb and it grew hot and heavy on my chest.

I reached for more of my Stone magic, focusing them on my chest and hands as I placed my hand on either side of the bright blue-white ball that was pushing against my chest and used my magic to squeeze the life, the energy from it.

It worked.

The ball of wind dimmed and died down, puffing away into nothingness. I took a breath and slowly got up, not letting go of my magic. I concentrated on my magic, my element, letting it make me as hard as I needed to be to survive this.

I looked up at Kitty's narrowed eyes, "H-how? I hit you square on the chest, y-you should be a pile of mush!" she barked but I didn't answer, let the bitch figure it out for herself. I shrugged my arm and the last of my knives slipped out and into my hand. Before I could throw it at her, Kitty reared back and threw more of her magic at me. The blast of wind hitting my chest again.

Nothing wrong with her aim.

The knife flew out of my hand as the wind lashed at my skin. I didn't fall this time but my feet slid across the rocks, the force pushing me back like I was standing on ice. The wind screamed in my ear again but this time I was ready, I waited until the it died down then moved forward.

Seeing that her Air magic wasn't working as she thought it should, she reached into her cloak and pulled out a handgun. Firing three shots.

The first bullet zinged somewhere to my right.

The second was caught in my vest, adding to the heat on my chest. The sharp, painful blow was enough to make me lose my grip on my magic for a second.

Shit.

It was enough time for the third bullet to slam into my stomach, instead of bouncing off the rock-hard skin like it would have if I was properly focused. Pain exploded in my body and I could feel the blood squirt out of the wound and staining my shirt. I let out a soundless scream as I crumpled to the ground, clutching my arm around my abdomen.

"Not so tough now are you, you little bitch?" Kitty's nasal voice drifts and dances around the quarry.  
>I tilted my head and watched her lower the smoking gun, I was closer to her now. Close enough that I was sure she could see the silver-gray glow in my eyes as I reached for my Stone magic.<p>

Kitty stopped as I got on my knees and leaned my weight on one hand while the other pressed against the wound on my stomach.

"You're a fucking elemental!" she hissed. Finally noticing the gray tinged on my skin.  
>I shut out all the pain and reached for my magic once more, "just like you, bitch!" I launched myself forward and threw myself at her. Kitty wasn't expecting the sudden move and failed to get a shot off before I slammed into her. The gun flying out of her hand as she fell to the ground, me on top of her.<p>

I may have been skilled but Kitty's magic and frustration had driven her into a frenzy. I landed two solid punches to her face and she took it like I hadn't even hit her and roared back with several of her own.

Kick.

Slap.

Punch.

We rolled around the rocky surface of the quarry, exchanging blows and throwing magic at each other. My skin pricked every time she reached for her magic and I was sure she felt the same way when I reached for mine. We were so close that the prickling felt like burning as we pushed orbs of magic into each other's faces.

"I'll kill you!" She screamed at my face as the power between us went back and forth.

After ten seconds, I was starting to get tired.

Thirty second in, I was gasping for air as I struggled against her.

By the minute mark, I was doing all I could to keep going. Using so much of my magic was quickly draining me. The bullet in my stomach wasn't helping either.

My vision stated to blur.

That's when Kitty got in a strong, unexpected blow to my face and my head slammed against the rock. For a second, everything went black. My magic slipping from me completely. Kitty took the advantage, she flipped us and positioned herself on top of me, hitting my head again and again.

The blows dazed me but I managed to grab on to some magic, hardening my skin again. I managed to open my eyes before another blow landed on my left cheek. I notice that her hands were glowing as she added Air magic to every punch to make each blow that much more painful

With every blow, I could feel the Air magic lashing against my skin like a whip. Blisters started to form on my face, neck, hands and arms as the Air forced itself beneath my skin.

It was excruciating.

Kitty raised her hand and her fingers sparked to life. Her magic making them burn like a welder's torch. She brought her hand up to my face, just above my eyes. She was going to use her magic to peel the skin off of my face.

I grabbed her hand and shoved it back. Luckily, I still had enough magic so the magic didn't flay my hands immediately but I wasn't sure how long I could hold on. A minute? Two?

Back and forth, our hands seesawed, her burning fingers getting closer and closer to my face. I could feel more blisters on my skin, threatening to burst and rip my skin.

It felt like pure agony.

I needed help. I couldn't hold on much longer. It hurt so much. If this is what if felt like with only a few blisters, I couldn't imagine the pain that Finn had endured at her hands.

_Finn._ I thought desperately. What would Finn do?

_Kill the bitch any way you can._

I could almost hear his voice murmuring in my ear.

"Give it up, Spider. I'll enjoy stripping your skin off." Kitty growled, pushing her hands against mine again. "My magic is stronger than yours. Stop struggling."

That's when it hit me.

I had been going about this all wrong, I never would have done a hit with a head-on confrontation. No, not in my line of work. Sneak attacks were what I did best. Out-thinking and outmaneuvering people was what I did best.

I had enough magic left in me for one final burst. So far, I'd been on the defensive, trying to block and survive Kitty's magic. I never liked being on the defense.

After Kitty landed another blow to my face, I threw my right left to my side. As far away from her and the Air magic that howled around her. Kitty immediately thought that I was losing strength and she allowed herself to stop her assault to let out a triumphant chuckle.

Sloppy. Sloppy. Sloppy.

With my outstretched hand, I reached for my other magic- my Ice magic. My Ice magic had never been as strong as my Stone but it was enough to make shapes and ice cubes for my alcohol.

It was enough.

The rune scar on my hand frosted over as my fingers closed around the jagged icicle that I formed. I reached back and slammed the icicle into Kitty's heart.

The milky white glow in her fingers snuffed out and she let out a small squeak. The icicle broke off in her chest so I threw my hands out to the side and formed another one. This time, the cold weapon went into her neck ,severing her jugular. I turned my head just as the blood spurted out, splattering my cheek like hot wax against my blistered skin.

Her eyes widened and she clawed to get a grip on the icicle in her neck but I didn't wait for her to pull it out.

I formed another icicle and slit her throat. She let out a gurgled sound before her eyes rolled to the back of her head. If Kitty knew how to use her magic to heal, she could have close the wound in no time but all she knew was to kill with it. She was right that her powers were stronger than mine, I just used my magic better.

Kitty pitched forward and I kept her away with my hands on her shoulder, the blood from her throat had spilled out on me and soaked my face, hair and clothes. I held on to what was left of my magic as the last bursts of power erupted from her body, pummeling me a final time. The silverstone in my vest had absorbed all the magic it could and it had liquefied, sloshing around my vest like water in a cup.

My arms caved and Kitty's body dropped on top of me. I lay there under her as I felt the last of my Stone magic slipping away. I reached and pushed to protect myself from the screaming wind and super-heated metal.

I could feel myself slipping, the corners of my vision darkening. A moment later, my stone magic was exhausted and my skin reverted back into it's regular state. My arms felt like lead and all I could do was to close my eyes as the wind caused their final damage on my skin. Forming blisters all over my skin while her blood washed over my neck and face.

The pain was indescribable but there was nothing else I could do. I had nothing left in me. If I died, it wouldn't be so bad. At least, Kitty was dead and that email will be sent to Blaine. He'll take care of Marley and my revenge would be complete.

Suddenly, the wind whistled away.

The blood from Kitty's throat had slowed to a trickle. It always amazed me how quickly life could turn dead and cold. I forced up enough strength to roll the bitch off me before taking off my melted vest. I threw the ruined material to one side and watched as Silverstone leaked out of the fabric and pooled on the ground like a pale river.

I turned my attention to Kitty. She'd flopped onto her back, staring up at the stars that had already started to appear over us. She coughed once, and more of her blood spattered on the rock around her. I staggered to my feet, watching her die. I leaned down just before Kitty slipped away and stared at her. The Air elemental's pained gaze flicked to me.

"I have a pretty good idea on where you're going" I said. "if you see Finn Hudson, tell him Santana says Hi."

The milky white magic in the Air elemental's gaze dimmed, dulled, and leaked out of her eyes. But I didn't move until I was sure she was dead. Taking a breath and dropping my shoulders, I idly wondered if I should get her gun and put three in her head just to be sure just like she wanted to do with m— Click.

I was so focused on Kitty that I didn't hear anyone approach until it was too late. I pressed my hand against the hole on my stomach and I turned.

Sandy Ryerson was standing behind me, his gun aimed at my chest. The giant was less than twenty feet from me. He wouldn't miss. Not when he was this close. I was too exhausted to reach for a decent amount of magic and my vest was lying in a liquid pile on the ground beside me.

I let out a sigh.

At least I killed Kitty. Assuming Ryerson hadn't shot Puck and Quinn, they'd be safe too. Dani wouldn't be too bothered by my death and Brittany- no. I couldn't think of her now. It would only make my death much more painful knowing I wouldn't be able to see her again.

"I can't believe you killed her, you did me a favor you know?" he said, "I never wanted to get involved with that psychotic little bitch but she had pictures of me with a girl and I just couldn't, I couldn't say no to her, not to any of it."

More information that Kitty had been blackmailing the captain, "and then she promised me more. More money, more drugs, more women and all I had to was to find you..."

I knew the story already, he was babbling but I didn't dare interrupt him. The longer he talked, the longer I stayed alive. My eyes flicked to the ground and scanned it for anything that might help me. One of my knives was standing at least two-feet away from me, the blade in the ground and the handle poking up.

I might be able to dive for it and throw it at the captain before he shot me. It was the only chance I had.

I used what was left of my ice magic to freeze the blood that was dripping from my wound- "this will fix it. I'll tel them you killed Kitty and I killed you. It should stick. I can make it work." Ryerson raised his gun- I dived forward to get out of the line of fire- a shot rang out, then nothing.

My head snapped up. Ryerson was standing in front of me, teetering slightly to the left before toppling to the ground. I saw one of my knives buried on the back of his head. Another knife was buried into the middle of his back, severing the spine, and another where his heart would have been.

I raised my head to figure who had been standing behind Ryerson.

Another person in a cloak. I narrowed my eyes and tried to see anything identifying on the figure but my vision had blurred from exhaustion and I was barely able to keep my eyes open.

The gunshot on my stomach and the exhaustion caught up with me and I collapsed, my back hitting the rocks under me. I notice the figure bolt forward, towards me. For a moment, I thought it was Blaine. That he had found me somehow and I was twenty seconds away from being burned to a crisp.

The figure knelt beside me and pressed her warm fingers on my throat. I close my eyes and wait for the fire to burn me but there was nothing. The figure simply kept her hand on my neck, their other hand was pressing down on my stomach, over the wound.

She was making sure I was alive.

"Who-"  
>The figure shook it's head, "Sshh..."<p>

Suddenly, I feel the bullet moving inside me, against flesh and bone. I let out another silent scream as my body tried to arch away from the figure. I tried to twist and fight the figure away but I was too tired and a strong, glove hand pinned me down. The bullet moved again- "Ah!" I screamed but the figure didn't stop. The bullet kept moving higher and higher until with one final pull, I couldn't feel it anymore. I looked down at the hands on saw the gloved-hand dropping it on the ground.

My body sagged and I could feel every drop of energy seep out of me, my head lolled and my eyes dropped as the figure set me down. I could feel hands gently brushing loose strands of hair away from my face before gliding over my lips, then something pressed against my temple. It stayed there for a few seconds when the silence was broken with a a loud-

"Santana!" Puck.

The figure pulled back quickly then took my hand and placed it on top of my wound before standing up. I could hear the figure running away, as silent as I would have done it.

"Santana! Where are you?!" Quinn

I could hear their footsteps crunching on the ground, "I found her!" Dani. The detective was still here. That was a surprise. Several hands grabbed me and helped me up, "she's hurt." Dani says, "Puck, call 911. Now."  
>"No." I say, "No..." <em>I can't go to the "...<em>hospital."  
>Dani sighed, exasperated. "Don't be stupid."<br>"No."  
>"She's right." Puck told her, halting the topic,"I know where to bring her. I'll get the car!"<br>Puck's voice drift and the last thing I heard from him was "Rachel- we need your help-"

I'm aware that I was leaning on something soft and that someone had sat me up. I forced my eyes open and found that I was leaning on Quinn. She was kneeling beside me and I had the whole left side of my body was pressed against her. "How did you do it?" Dani's says from in front of me.

I glanced up and saw that she was looking at Ryerson and Kitty, "I saw her magic. She was lighting up the whole quarry. The wind was so strong, we could hear it from the car-"  
>"I got lucky." my voice weak and raspy.<br>"Kitty's dead..." she murmured, "Ryerson is dead. Which means our truce is over." Dani said, pulling her gun from it's holster and pressing it against my forehead. My hands clench into fists.

I hear Quinn gasp, "you killed my partner."  
>"Yeah..." I sigh, "Yeah, I killed your partner."<br>This was it, then? Somehow, knowing I would die in her hands made it easier for me. At least Puck and the other's are safe. I've avenged Finn. Dani's conscience would be clean.

Seemed like a pretty good death to me.

"Detective! What are you doing?" Quinn screeched, pulling me against her tighter. Her arms wrapping protectively around me.  
>"You're an assassin, you're everything that I swore to bring down, everything I hate." she spat, tightening her grip on her gun, "if I kill you, I'd be doing the city a favor."<br>"Detective, stop this!" Quinn yelled from beside me.

I wondered at that, if killing me would be a service to the city. Maybe the mayor would give him a medal for it. I could already see the headlines and it makes my chapped lips twitch.

Funniest thing I've heard all night.

Killing me wouldn't do shit. This city would just be as corrupt and deadly as it had always been.

The silence stretched out between us, Seconds that felt like eternity. Only Quinn's arms around me gave me comfort, at least I'll die with someone trying to protect me.

I watched as Dani lowered her gun, "But I can't..." she sighs,  
>"What?" I asked, unable to believe her.<br>"I feel- I feel something for you. Lust, curiosty, gratitude. I don't know. But I can't. It won't let me kill you. So what does that make me?"

She holstered her gun and stared down at me, her eyes flickering with conflict, disgust and guilt. "A good person." I tell her softly.  
>Dani shook her head, "No. It makes me stupid." Her brown-green eyes darkened and her whole body just sagged. The detective reminded me of Atlas, bearing so much on her shoulders.<p>

"Quinn, meet me at the Cake Walk tomorrow. We need to have a story so they don't get suspicious." She says before walking away.  
>"Detective!" I call out before she could get far, stopping her mid-step.<br>"What?"  
>"Thank you."<p>

As soon as the words left my lips, the darkness closed in and I went numb.


	16. Barbecue Man

**A/N: Homygad... I've been gone for a while! Sorry about that, I hope you're all still here and you don't hate me! Okay, quick back story and a time jump from last chapter.**

**Dani will be leaving this fic by next chapter to make way for the Brittana!**

**Leave a review!**

* * *

><p>"Freeze! Nobody move! This is a robbery!"<p>

Wow. Three cliches in a row.

As little as the shouted threats affected me, someone still squeaked out a little scream. I sighed. Screams were never good for business.

Damn it.

That just means I couldn't ignore the problem that had just walked into my business. I tore my eyes away from the copy of The Odyssey that I'd been reading so see what exactly I was dealing with.

Two twenty-something men stood in the middle of the dining area. The dynamic duo sported black trench coats that covered their thin T-shirts and flapped against their ripped, rock star jeans. Neither one wore a hat or gloves, and the fall chill had painted their ears and fingers a bright cherry red. I wondered how long they'd stood outside, gathering up the courage to come in and yell out their pathetic demands.

Water dripped off their boots and spread across the faded blue and pink pig tracks that covered the restaurant floor. I eyed the men's footwear. Expensive black leather thick enough to keep out the cold. No holes, no cracks, no missing bootlaces. These two weren't your typical desperate junkies looking for a quick cash score.

No, they had their own money—lots of it, from the looks of their shoes, vintage T-shirts, and designer jeans.

These two rich punks were robbing my barbecue restaurant just for the thrill of it.

Worst fucking decision they'd ever made.

"Don't move!" The taller man repeated. He was blonde with Justin Bieber hair, they both sported. They were tall for humans but not tall enough to be giants, probably around 5-foot-10 to 6-feet. Despite their ugly haircut, I could tell they were built well. Muscles pushes against the sleeves of their jackets and their abdomen was slim.

The blonde scans his surroundings, from the cash register, to the hissing fryer behind me and to the bloody copy of The Giver mounted on the wall behind the counter. Then he turned his attention to the people in the restaurant. There weren't many since it was a Monday. Aside from Mercedes and I, just a couple of school girls sat in the booth farthest from me.

As I looked at the two girls, a blonde and a red-head, I noticed that the one facing me, the red-head, looked familiar- "Hmmph." Mercedes grunted from behind me and I feel see her making her way behind me.

The blonde Justin Bieber, seeing how scared the two women were, pulled out a small knife from his back pocket. A small smile curved my lips. "Chill out, Ryder." the brunette guy muttered, "there's no need to cause a scene."  
>I looked at him as he pulled out a black bag and threw it at my feet, "Look just-"<br>"No names, Jeff, remember?" Ryder snarled and glared at his friend.

Sighing, I used one of the receipts as a bookmark before sliding off my seat and walking around the counter. Ryder saw my movement and instead or charging me as I expected, he yanked the red-head from her seat. Her sandwich flying out of her hand before smacking into the storefront window, the barbecue sauce dripping like blood on smooth, shiny glass.

Waste of a good sandwich.

"Leave her alone, bastard!" the other woman shouted. She jumped to her feet and charged at Ryder, who back handed her. He might not have been a giant but he was strong enough to knock a small woman off her feet and send her slamming into the table. She hit the table with her stomach and broke it in half, she landed hard on the ground between the two halves of the ruined table.

By this point, Mercedes had grown interested in things as she gave a displeased "hmmmff."  
>"You take right..." I murmered, "I got left."<br>Mercedes grunted before moving to stand beside the woman that had been thrown.  
>"Jeff!" Ryder jerked his head towards Mercedes and the injured woman. "Watch those bitches!"<p>

Jeff wet his lips. Pure, uncomfortable misery filled his pale face, but he stepped around his friend and walked over to the injured woman, who had pushed herself up to her hands and knees. She shoved her wild tangle of blonde hair out of her face. Her pale brown eyes burned with hate. A fighter, that one.

Suddenly, I recognized who I was staring at; Sugar Pierce.

This definitely had to end now. Ryder pulls the first woman against him and turned her to face us before raising the knife to her throat. Now he had a human shield. Fan-fucking-tastic.

I narrowed my eyes and examined him. Suddenly, a bit of red sparked behind his deep blue eyes, like a match flaring to life. Magic surged like a hot, summer wind through the restaurant. The opposing element made my skin prick and the scars on my palms itch. Flames erupted from between his fingers before spreading out towards the knife, the steel glowing yellow-orange from the intense.

Well, well. Ryder the robber was just full of surprises.

My smile grew a little tighter. Ryder wasn't the only dangerous elemental. I cocked my head, reaching out for my stone magic. All around me, the stone murmured in unease. They sensed the sudden spike in activity that had happened and my dark intentions now.

"I said nobody fucking move!" His eyes were completely red now, like someone had set two rubies in his face. Sweat dripped down the side of his face as his head bobbed in time to a music that only he could hear. Little Ryder was high- alcohol, drugs, blood, his own magic, maybe even all of it. Didn't matter, he'd be dead in a minute. Two, tops.

The red glow in Ryder's eyes brightened as he reached for his magic again. The flames dancing around the blade, licking the girls neck. Threatening to burn her. Tears streamed down her heart-shaped face and her breath was coming out in short sobs but she didn't move. Smart girl.

My eyes narrowed again. It was one thing to try to rob the Pork Pit, Finn's barbecue restaurant, his legacy. Down-on-their luck elementals, vampire hookers, and other bums strung out on their own magic and desperate for more could be excused that stupidity. But nobody—nobody—threatened my paying customers. I was going to enjoy taking care of this lowlife. I just need to get him away from the girl. So I held up my hands in a placating gesture and kept the cold, calm violence out of my voice as best I could.

"I'm Santana Lopez, I'm the owner of this fine establishment. I don't want any trouble. Let little miss cupcake head go, and I'll open the cash register for you. I won't even call the police after you leave."  
>Ryder snorted, "Go ahead, call the cops. Do you know who I am? Who I've got in the palm of my hands?"<br>"Don't tell them that!" Jeff hissed from his place.  
>Ryder snorted again and turned his burning eyes to his friend, "I'll tell them what the fuck I want."<p>

I fight the urge to roll my eyes, "just let the girl go, Ryder. I'll open the cash register and let you take everything."  
>His red eyes narrowed to slits. "You'll open the cash register, or the girl dies—and you along with her."<br>Ryder jerked the girl back against him, and the flames coating the knife burned even brighter, taking on an orange-yellow hue. The silverstone scars on my palms itched at the influx of magic. Hungry to absorb it. I tensed, afraid he was going to do the girl right here, right now. I could kill him—easily—but probably not before he hurt the girl with his magic.

I couldn't let that happen. It wasn't going to happen. Not in my restaurant.

Not now, not again.

"Ryder calm down," Jeff pleaded with his friend. "No one's making any trouble. It's going just like you said, let's just get the money and go." The blonde stared at me, the flames dancing in his red eyes matching the movement of the ones on the knife blade.

Pure, malicious glee filled his gaze. Even if I hadn't been good at reading people, that emotion alone would have told me that Ryder enjoyed using his magic, loved the power it gave him, the feeling of being invincible.

Stealing my money wouldn't have satisfied him. No, Ryder was going to use his Fire power to kill everyone in the restaurant just because he could, because he wanted to show off his magic and prove he was a real badass. Unless I did something to stop him.

"Ry? The money?" Jeff asked again.  
>After a moment, the fire dimmed in Ryder's eyes. He lowered the glowing blade a few inches, giving the girl some much-needed air. "Money. Now." I opened the register, grabbed all the wrinkled bills inside, and held them out.<p>

All he had to do was let go of the girl long enough to step forward and grab the cash, and I'd have him.

Come on, you bastard.

Come and play with Aunty Tana.

Some sense of self-preservation must have kicked in, because Ryder jerked his head. Jeff left his spot by the injured woman, tiptoed forward, snatched the money out of my hand, and stepped back. I didn't bother grabbing him and using him as a hostage. Guys like Ryder weren't above leaving their friends hanging.

Ryder licked his thin, chapped lips. "How much? How much is there?"  
>Jeff quickly rifled through the green bills. "A little more than two hundred."<br>"That's it? You're holding out on me, bitch," Ryder snarled.  
>I shrugged. "Monday's a slow day. And not many people like to get out in this kind of cold weather, not even for barbecue."<br>The Fire elemental glared at me, debating my words and what he could do about them. I smiled back. He didn't know what he'd gotten himself into—or who exactly he was messing with.

"Let's just go, Ry." Jeff pleaded. "Some cops could come along any second."  
>Ryder tightened his grip on his flaming knife. "No. Not until this bitch tells me what she did with the rest of the money. This is the most popular restaurant in the neighborhood. There had to be more than two hundred dollars in that cash register. So where did you hide it, bitch? You wearing a money belt underneath that greasy blue apron?"<br>I shrugged. "Why don't you come and find out, you pathetic piece of shit?"  
>His eyes grew darker, redder, angrier, until I thought the sparking flames flickering inside might actually shoot out of his magic-tinted irises. Ryder let out a furious growl. He shoved the girl away and charged at me, the knife held straight out towards me.<p>

My smile widened. Finally, time to play.

I waited until he got in range, then stepped forward and turned my body into his. I slammed my elbow into his sternum and swept his feet out from under him. Ryder grunted, stumbled, and did a face-plant onto the floor.

His temple clipped the side of one of the tables as he went down, and a resulting bit of blood spattered onto my jeans. The sharp blow was enough to make Ryder lose his grip on his Fire magic. The prickling power washing off him vanished, and the flames snuffed out on the knife in his hand. The hot metal hissed and smoked as it came into contact with the cool floor.

I looked to my right. Sugar scrambled to her feet and prepared to launch herself at Jeff but Mercedes grabbed the girl's waist and pulled her back. The woman started to struggle, but the larger Mercedes shook her head and stepped forward, putting herself in front of the customer. Jeff swallowed once and backed up, ready to turn and run but Mercedes was quicker. The cook punched him once in the stomach. Jeff went down like an anvil had been dropped on him. He crumpled to the floor and didn't move.

One down, one to go.

I turned my attention back to Ryder, who'd rolled over onto his side. Blood dripped down the side of his head where he'd cut himself on the corner of the table. The blonde saw me standing over him, curled halfway up, and slashed at me with his knife. Idiot. He didn't even come close to nicking me. After Ryder made another flailing pass with the blade, I crouched down and grabbed his wrist, bending it back so he couldn't move it. I eyed the weapon in his locked hand.

"I'll be damned..." I said. "Get a real knife. You couldn't even peel potatoes with that thing."  
>Then I plucked the blade from his chapped fingers and snapped his wrist. Ryder howled in pain, but the noise didn't bother me. Hadn't in years. I shoved him down onto his back, then straddled him, a knee on either side of his beefy chest, squeezing in and putting pressure on his ribs.<p>

I adjusted and tightened my grip on the dull knife, ready to drive it into his heart. A flimsy weapon, but it would do the job. Just about anything would, if you had enough strength and determination to put behind it. I had plenty of both.

A small, choked sob sounded, drawing my attention away from Ryder and his high-pitched, keening howls.  
>My eyes flicked up. The girl huddled underneath a table a few feet away, her knees pulled up to her chest, her eyes as big as quarters in her face, tears sliding down her flushed cheeks.<p>

A position I'd been in, once upon a time. A couple of months ago, the girl and her tears wouldn't have bothered me. I would have killed Ryder and his friend, washed the blood off my hands, and asked Mercedes to get rid of the bodies before I closed up the Pork Pit for the night.

That's what assassins did and I was the Spider, one of the very best.

But two months ago, I promised myself that I would do as Finn wanted, to retire, to take a different path in life, to _live in the daylight a little_, as he was so fond of saying. After I killed Kitty Wilde, I followed his advice and quit the assassin business.

"Hmph." Behind me, Mercedes grunted. My eyes locked with hers. Regret flashed in her dark gaze, and she shook her head just the tiniest bit.

_No_, she was saying. _Not in front of two witnesses._

She was right. Witnesses were bad. I couldn't gut Ryder with the two girls watching and get rid of the body afterward. Not in my own restaurant. Not without blowing my cover as Santana Lopez and leaving everything behind. And I wasn't going to do that. Not for a piece of trash like the Fire elemental. But that didn't mean I couldn't let Ryder know exactly whom he was dealing with.

I waited until there was a lull in his howls, then tipped his head up with the knife point against the underside of his chin and gazed into his eyes. They'd lost all hint of their red, fiery magic. Now his hazel brown irises were wide and glossy with panic, fear, pain. "You ever come to my restaurant and fuck with me or my customers again, and I'll carve you up like a Thanksgiving turkey." I slashed down with the knife, breaking the skin on his neck. Ryder yelped at the sting and clawed at the small wound.

I slapped his hand away and nicked him again. The smell of warm, coppery blood filled my nose. Something else that hadn't bothered me in a long, long time. "Every time you move, I'm going to cut you again. Deeper and deeper. Nod your head if you understand."

Hatred flared in his gaze, taking the edge off the pain and panic, but he nodded.  
>"Good." I clipped his temple with the knife hilt. Ryder's head snapped to one side and fell onto the floor. Unconscious.<p>

I stood up, wiped my fingerprints off the knife, and dropped the weapon on the floor. The boy didn't stir. Then I got to my feet and headed for the girl, still crouched underneath the table. She shrank back against the legs of a chair at my approach, like she wanted to melt into the metal. Her pulse fluttered like a mad butterfly in her temple. I put my friendliest, most trustworthy, charming, smile on my face and crouched down until I was eye-level with her.

"Come on, sweetheart," I said, holding out my hand. "It's over. Those men aren't going to hurt you now."  
>Her chocolate eyes darted to Ryder and Jeff lying unconscious the floor. Her gaze flicked back to me, and she chewed her lip, her teeth white against her red lips.<br>"I'm not going to hurt you either," I said in a soft voice. "Come on. I'm sure your friend wants to see how you are."  
>"Emma!" Sugar called out since Mercedes still wasn't letting her go. "Are you all right?"<br>Her friend's voice penetrated Emma's fearful daze.  
>She breathed a sigh of relief and nodded her head. The girl reached out, and I grabbed her trembling hand. Emma's fingers felt like thin, fragile icicles against the thick scar embedded in my palm. I tugged the girl to her feet. She eyed me with understandable caution, so I kept my movements slow and small, not wanting to startle her. Like a trapped wild raccoon that you were trying to help. They were cute as fuck but startle one and you'll spend the rest of the day healing slashes on your face.<p>

"I'm fine, Em." Emma said in small voice. "Just a little shook up is all."  
>Mercedes let go of the other woman, and I stepped back. Sugar rushed forward and caught her friend in a tight hug.<br>Emma wrapped her arms around the other woman, and the two of them rocked back and forth in the middle of the restaurant. I walked over to Mercedes, who was watching the two women with a flat expression on her face.

"Friendship. Ain't it a beautiful thing?" I quipped lightly.  
>"Hmph." Sophia grunted again but the corners of the her lips turned up into a tiny smile.<br>The two girls hugged a minute longer before Emma pulled a cell phone out of her jeans.  
>"You call the cops," Sugar told her friend. "I need to let Brittany know I'm okay. You know how she is. She'll freak when she finds out about this."<p>

_Brittany._

Somehow, the image of Brittany being the overprotective sister made sense to me. She had this power in her but also a discreet kind of gentleness. Everyone knew that her sister was the most important thing to Brittany. I wonder how she'd react to news of some rich-boy snob trying to off her sister.

Emma nodded her head in sympathetic agreement and pulled her own phone out of her jeans. The two women started dialing numbers, instead of asking me, the restaurant owner, to do it for them. Not surprising. If you wanted the cops, you called them yourself. You certainly didn't depend on the kindness of strangers to do it. Not in Willowfield.

I frowned. Cops. Not the kind of attention I wanted to draw to myself, even if I was retired. Nothing I could do about it now, though.

Mercedes went back to the stove to check on her baked beans. Sugar spoke in a low voice to someone on her phone. Emma finished her 911 call and sank into the nearest chair. The girl stared at Ryder; then her brown eyes flicked to the bloody knife. Her lower lip quivered, her eyes grew glossy, and her hands trembled. Trying to hold back the tears. Something else I'd had to do, once.

I walked over to the counter and picked up a glass cake plate filled with the black forest cookies I'd baked this morning. "Here." I took the top off and held the plate out to her. "Have a cookie. They've got plenty of sugar and butter and chocolate in them. They'll help with the shakes." Emma gave me a weak smile, took one of the chocolate treats, and bit into the concoction. The bittersweet chocolate melted in her mouth, and her eyes brightened with pleasure instead of worry.

Sugar finished her call and sat down next to her friend. Her hands didn't tremble as she snapped her phone shut, and she looked at Ryder with a thoughtful expression. The only sign anything had happened to Sugar was a red welt on her cheek, where her face had smacked into the floor.

The girl had a level head on her shoulders and a firm grip on her emotions. But that didn't mean she wouldn't crash later.  
>I held the plate out to her. "You too."<br>Sugar took a cookie, broke it in two, and stuffed half of it into her mouth. Not shy, either.  
>I also plucked one of the chocolate treats off the stack.<br>Not because I had shaky nerves, but because they were damn good cookies. As we waited for the cops to arrive, I couldn't help but wonder if Dani would be with them.

* * *

><p>"What happened? How did you get away from Ryerson?" I asked as Puck drove us to our destination. I regained consciousness about five minutes earlier, in the backseat with Quinn while Dani sat in the passenger seat.<p>

Puck jerked his thumb at the detective, "Quinn and I ran into this one. She exchanged a few shots with the captain but he ran screaming back towards Kitty." So that was it, the detective didn't come back for me, she came back to finish Ryerson. She finished the job just as I'd expected but it didn't help the knot of disappointment in my chest.

At the mention of her name, Dani took it as an invitation to speak.  
>"Here's what happened. I went off the grid to investigate the Tanaka case. Men came to my house to kill me, but I escaped from them. I've been laying low the last few days tracking down leads, one of which was Quinn. Thanks to her, I discovered the Tanaka files, but Kitty found us. She brought us out here to kill us, but I managed to turn the tables on her instead."<p>

"What about Ryerson?" Puck asked.  
>Dani shrugged. "He was pretending to work for Kitty to bring her down. He came to the rescue, but was killed in the crossfire."<br>"You know he was working for that bitch and that he liked to abuse young girls. Why are you protecting him?" I asked a spark of hate glowing in my chest.

The detective simply looked at me, "Because he has a wife and a daughter who'll need his pension. Because they shouldn't suffer for what he did." Dani's eyes flashed with black fire, daring me to contradict her. I didn't. "And the mysterious woman at the opera house?" I asked, deflecting her gaze.

"Mistaken identity," She said. "Kitty picked her out to frame her. A composite sketch of a person who never really existed. I'll think of something."  
>"I'm sure you will," I murmured.<br>"Where do I come in?" Quinn asked quietly. "Why do you need me to stick around?" the detective looked at her. "Because people saw Ryerson drag you out of the country club. And I need somebody to back me up."

I stared at Quinn, "Are you okay with being a star witness to all of this?" The vampire shrugged. "Think you can sell it?" Dani asked her.

Roslyn laughed. The delicate, pealing sound reminded me of wind chimes. "Oh honey, selling myself was what I did for years. So yeah, I think I can manage. You just tell me what you want me to say. By the time I'm done, the angels and even Satan himself will be crying."

"Well, it's nice and tidy all the way around," I said. "You think your bosses will believe that bizarre fairy tale?"  
>Dani shrugged. "Don't know, don't fucking care. That's the story I'm sticking with. Plus, I have this." He held up the flash drive. The detective must have picked it up off the quarry floor while I was having my reunion with Puck. "It's all the proof I need," she said. "I already used my cell phone to call it in. The first units will be there in ten minutes."<p>

I grimaced. "aren't they going to find it odd that you're not there?"  
>"They will. That's why I'm getting off next block."<br>"You're going to walk back?" Puck asked, "I can hot wire a car for you."  
>"That'd be great. Thanks."<p>

Puck slowed the car until we were in front of a parking garage, he stepped out and went in to look for a suitable car for the detective. Quinn followed him. He pulls out an anonymous red Toyota and parks in front of us.

"Time for me to go." Dani says from her seat and I watch Puck and Quinn start talking by the car.  
>I nodded without looking at her, "time for you to go." our eyes meet through the rear-view mirror. "I guess this is goodbye." I tell her.<br>"Don't let me catch you again." She says, a small smirk teasing the corner of her eyes, "I won't be so generous next time." There was that confidence again. One of the things that attracted me to her so much, I tipped my head in acknowledgement, "Don't worry, detective. I'm the spider. I live in the shadows, remember?"

Guilt and a touch of regret flashed in the detective's eyes, although she kept her face hard and remote. I did the same, even though a knife of emotion twisted into my heart.

Puck and Quinn hugged their good-byes, and the vampire went to stand by the passenger side door. He pulled the driver side door open and slipped in. Dani leaned forward and grabbed her coat and guns from the dashboard, then yanked open the car door. As soon as the detective and the vampire drove away, I fell into the cushioned seat and flopped around like a rag doll, all the strength gone from my body.

Puck turned and stared at me. "Santana..."  
>"Not tonight, Puck. Not tonight. Drive," I said. "Just drive." I put my head back against the seat and closed my eyes.<br>Puck drove to Rachel's and this time he was the one to help me up the porch while he banged on the star-shaped knocker.

The familiar light footsteps of the tiny woman sounded and a moment later the door swung open. She was wearing ugly star covered pajamas and there were about a million curlers in her hair.  
>"Ding, dong." I winced, "The witch is dead."<br>"How long did it take you to come up with that one?" she rolled her eyes before stepping aside and letting us through.  
>I winced for every breath that I took, "came up... with that... on the spot..." I huffed.<p>

"You're a real comedian." Puck grimaced as he half-carried me to the parlor, setting me down on the leather seat. Rachel proceeded to use her Air magic to heal me and since my wounds were caused by elemental magic, it was harder and therefore more painful to heal. To help with the pain, I told Rachel what had happened in the quarry, especially about my fight with Kitty.

After several minutes that felt like pure agony, Rachel shifted from my face to my neck, "So I guess you were wrong." I tell her.  
>"Hmm?"<br>"About nothing being able to penetrate my Stone magic. Alexis Kitty's Air power did."  
>The woman shrugged. "You said yourself, your concentration broke. Next time, you'll know what to expect. Besides, you're still young, Santana. You're just now fully coming into your power."<br>"But Kitty was stronger than I was," I protested. "Her magic was stronger. I felt it. You saw what she did to me with it."  
>Rachel gave me a sly look. "If she was so strong, how come she's rotting out in the quarry and you're sitting here in my chair?"<p>

I didn't have an answer to that.

The dwarf chuckled. "Pure strength is one thing, Sweetheart. Whether it's magical or natural, It'll only get you so far. But how you use what you've been given—that's what really matters. When you figure that out, nobody's going to be able to touch you. Not even me or Blaine Anderson."

The Kitty Wilde story played out for the next week. To say it was a circus would have been to underestimate the rabid appetite of the Willowfield media. Story after story flooded the airwaves and newspapers about Kitty and the trail of bodies in her wake. Dani must have been a better liar than I'd given her credit for, because the detective placed the blame for everything on Kitty, and nobody seemed willing to contradict her and with Quinn as a witness, it was almost funny how everything came to pass.

We held Finn's funeral's a week after everything blew over. Puck was there with Mercedes and Rachel. Quinn Fabray and Beth were there too and as the pastor droned on about spoke traditional words of comfort, my mind drifted back to the day Finn had taken me in …

* * *

><p><em>My family had been gone six weeks now. Maybe seven. Time had little meaning to me anymore. All that mattered was finding enough food for one more day and someplace that wasn't too cold to sleep at night. Something that was getting more difficult as winter approached. My favorite spot was next to this barbecue restaurant called the Pork Pit. A crack in the alley across from the back of the restaurant was just big enough for me to squeeze into. I liked the small, tight space and the muted hum of the stones in the surrounding buildings. Both of them made me feel safe, even though I knew it was only an illusion.<em>

_Then there was the tall boy who ran the restaurant. Barbecue Man. That's what I called him. He wasn't much older than me, probably between 19 to 22 years old. He knew I hung around out back, but he didn't yell or chase me away like the folks at the Italian and Chinese restaurants did. He even let me do odd jobs for him, like sweep out the stockroom. Last week I'd helped him defrost the freezers and clean these weird pink stains out of them. He'd given me fifty bucks for a day's work. I'd used the money to buy a black fleece jacket, a turtleneck, and the thickest pair of gloves they had at the Goodwill store. Barbecue Man was a lot nicer than the nuns over at the soup kitchen._

_Barbecue Man had given me a hamburger a little over an hour ago for cleaning the gum off from under the tables in the front of the restaurant. I licked the last of the crumbs from my fingers, trying to make every single bite last. But Barbecue Man didn't skimp with the meat, and this was one night I wouldn't go hungry—one of a very few. The sandwich made me sleepy, and I curled into a tight ball and dozed off in my little crack, having survived another day on the streets of Willowfield._

_Sometime later, the stones woke me, their murmurs rising to a low, steady wail, thanks to the protection curls I'd set into the brick. My own sort of alarm, to keep me safe from the drugged-out bums, vampire prostitutes, and pimps. Something I'd seen one of the street elementals do, although she'd used fireballs to trigger her alarm instead of something else. Fire elementals had it so easy. They could use their magic to keep warm at night, and if somebody messed with them, they would get a face full of flames. Not for the first time, I wished I'd been born a Fire instead of a Stone._

_I rubbed my eyes and sat up, clutching the loose brick in my lap. I'd used my magic to pry it out of one of the alley walls a few days ago. A pitiful weapon, but it was better than nothing. It only took me a moment to find the source of the alarm. A man stood in the shadows to my left. I stilled, hoping he wouldn't see me. I was very good at staying still and quiet. Being invisible was a necessary skill I'd perfected these past few weeks I had been out in the streets._

_The back door of the restaurant opened, and Barbecue Man stepped out, carrying the last of the day's garbage. He whistled a cheery tune as he slung the refuse in the Dumpster. The man stepped out of the shadows. He raised a gun and pointed it at Barbecue Man's back and I realized he was going to kill him. He was going to shoot Barbecue Man._

_"Watch out!" I screamed._

_Barbecue Man turned. He saw the gun and jerked to one side. The shot went wide. Barbecue Man threw himself on top of the other guy, and they fell to the alley floor. Kicking, punching, cursing. The man with the gun crawled on top of Barbecue Man and wrapped his hands around his throat. Strangling him. He was going to kill Barbecue Man unless I did something to stop it._

_I'd seen plenty of horrible things on the street. People shot, stabbed, beaten. Bums strung out on drugs and begging for more. Elementals driven crazy by their own magic. Vampire hookers sucking the life out of folks who didn't pay their tab. I'd learned not to get involved in anyone else's problems. That was a quick way to die, but Barbecue Man had been nice to me when no one else had. He didn't deserve to get robbed behind his own restaurant. Besides, if he died, I'd have to move on to somewhere else. And I didn't want to do that._

_So I reached for my magic._

_I let the Stone power fill my veins, and I stared at the back of the Pork Pit, focusing my attention on the rust-colored bricks. One brick that was already loose began to move and vibrate, working itself free of the wall. The men continued to struggle. I sat there, holding my magic, waiting for my chance. Barbecue Man clawed at the other guy's eyes, and the stranger pulled back, putting some space between them._

_All the opportunity I needed._

_I focused, and the vibrating brick flew out of the wall. The heavy stone struck the man in the temple, and his neck snapped to one side. I heard the crack all the way across the alley. A sound I'd heard before. The one that made me want to throw up. I'd broken his neck. I'd used my magic to kill yet again. What kind of monster was I?_

_Barbecue Man gasped in a deep breath. Then he shoved the other man off him and stood up. I huddled in my crack, wondering if Barbecue Man would call the cops. If he did, I'd use another brick but only to stun him. I wasn't going to kill Barbecue Man. Not him._

_He reached down and picked up the loose brick. He stared at me a moment, then turned and knelt beside the other man. He smashed the brick against the stranger's head three more times. Blood spurted everywhere. I clapped my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming._

_"Damn clients," Barbecue Man muttered. "Always wanting to double-cross you just so they can save a little money." He dropped the brick and wiped his bloody hands on his blue apron, further staining the greasy material. Then he turned and walked over to me. I shrank back into my crack, my hands tightening around the brick in my lap. Barbecue Man leaned down until his eyes were level with mine. Not for the first time, I noticed how bright and brown his gaze was._

_"Thanks, kid," Barbecue Man said. "You helped me out of a tight spot there. What's your name?"  
>Barbecue Man wasn't doing anything threatening, but I could still sense the strength in his body. He was a dangerous man. I didn't want to do anything to upset him.<br>"San- tana.." It was all I could get out. My full name was too much to say right now.  
>"Santana?" he asked. "Like the band?"<br>I nodded, too afraid to do anything else. Barbecue Man studied me, taking in my ripped jeans and the too-big shoes I'd dug out of the trash._

_"Where's your family?" he asked in a not-unkind voice, considering the blood on his hands and apron. "Dead," I whispered. "Everyone's dead and gone."  
>Barbecue Man studied me for a moment longer, then nodded, as if he'd decided something. "You look hungry, Santana. Would you like to come inside and get something else to eat? Maybe clean up a bit? It's warm inside the restaurant." Oh, to be warm, if only for a little while. But I wasn't stupid. I didn't trust Barbecue Man. Not after what I'd just seen him do.<em>

_If he tried anything, well, I supposed one more death on my conscience didn't much matter at this point. How much hotter could hell get?  
>I nodded. "Yes, sir."<br>Barbecue Man straightened and held out his hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet, leading me inside …_

* * *

><p><em><em>"Santana?"  
>A pair of fingers snapped in front of my face, breaking through my memories. I jerked back and looked at Sugar. "Are you still with us?"<br>"Of course." I murmured.  
>"Good, because the cops are here."<p>

A couple of uniformed patrol officers showed up twenty minutes later than they said. Late, as usual. If we'd really needed them, our bodies would have been getting cold and sticky on the floor. The cops barreled through the front door and stopped, surprised by the calm scene.

Sugar and Emma sat in their original booth. Emma munched on her fourth cookie and took a swig of the milk I'd given her. Sugar leaned one elbow on the tabletop, holding her head up with her hand. With her free hand, she methodically broke apart a cookie and slowly ate it, piece by piece. Looked like the shock had finally caught up with her.

At the stove, Mercedes ladled baked beans into glass jars to take home to Rachel. I perched on my usual stool behind the cash register, eating my third cookie and reading about Odysseus blinding a cyclops.

The first cop was about my height, five-five or so, a wiry Hispanic guy with nut-brown skin and a mop of matching curls that escaped the toboggan he'd stuffed them under. Dark freckles dotted his cheeks like walnuts. He had his gun out and held down against his leg. In contrast, the other officer was around seven feet tall, with a lush head of blonde hair and lips still to big for his face. His skin looked so smooth and milky, like polished marble. His blue eyes studied me for a moment and I recognized him, Sam. I'd seen him working as a bouncer at Sky Splits.

I hadn't realized he was a member of the police force as well.

Sam recognized me too and tipped his head in my direction. I returned the gesture. He didn't have his gun out. Didn't need to. Giants could take a couple bullets in the chest before they went down, and one well-placed punch from his fists would snap just about anyone's neck. Strange that he'd be working as a cop, though. Most of the giants in Ashland hired themselves out as private security. Paid better, even if it was just as dangerous.

"We got a call about a robbery," the first cop spoke. His voice was high and whiny, like a power saw.  
>"Yeah. Those two guys busted in and tried to rob me. That one," I pointed to Ryder "came into the store and told everybody to freeze. When I started to open the cash register for him, he grabbed one of the girls and held a knife to her throat. He's a Fire elemental. Put flames on his knife and almost burned the girl with it. But luckily, my cook and I were able to subdue them both."<p>

The cops looked at the two men, then at me, then Mercedes, and finally the girls.  
>"Is that how it happened?" the short cop asked. Sugar and Emma nodded their heads. Mercedes grunted her agreement.<br>"That's exactly how it happened," I said.  
>The short cop focused on Jeff. "And the other guy there?"<br>"His buddy. Tried to calm him down. Didn't work."  
>The cop looked at the two men a moment more, then back at me. "And you did this to them? With what? A baseball bat?"<br>"No," I replied. "I just handled the first guy, the big one. My cook took care of the other man. Neither one of us had a weapon."

With her strength, Mercedes didn't need a weapon anymore than a giant did. And I didn't think it was necessary to mention the five silverstone knives currently hidden on my body. Or the others placed in strategic locations throughout the restaurant. Or the fact that I could have just formed a jagged icicle with my Ice magic and cut Ryder's throat with it. Or even used my other elemental Stone power to collapse the whole restaurant on top of his head.

They didn't need to know that.  
>The short cop let out a low whistle. "Picked the wrong place to rob, didn't they?"<br>I didn't respond. He could see exactly how wrong they'd been from the blood spatters on the floor.  
>The two men were starting to come around. Jeff rocked back and forth on the floor, holding his stomach, as if that would lessen the ache from where Mercedes had punched him. Ryder lay on his back and blinked up at the ceiling as though he wasn't really seeing it.<p>

The giant cop, Sam, reached down, picked up Jeff by the scruff of his neck with one hand, and slapped a set of silverstone cuffs on him with the other. "Stay." he tells him before getting down on one knee and repeated the handcuff process on Ryder. He stared into his face. Sam frowned, then looked up at me with his blue eyes.

"You know who this is?" he rumbled.  
>"No. Should I?"<br>The giant nodded his head. "Yeah, Ryder Lynn. He's Smythe's boy toy."  
>My gray eyes narrowed. "Smythe? As in Sebastian Smythe? The lawyer?"<br>"The one and only," Sam mumbled.

Great. Exactly what I needed, more attention from anyone in Blaine Anderson's camp. The beginnings of a headache pulsed between my eyes. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes to take a breath, hearing the bell jingle above the door. Two sets of footsteps walked along my tiled floor, on stopped in front of me and the other headed straight for the table.

"What the hell happened?" A familiar female honey-covered voice asked  
>"Sam. Eli." Another female voice greets.<p>

I let out a long sigh, recognizing the voices. Slowly, I turn towards them and opened my eyes, addressing them both curtly, "Brittany... Detective."


End file.
